It wasn't a professional league, but Kevan Smith got a taste of pro baseball nonetheless.

The Seneca Valley graduate has completed his first summer in a wooden bat league as a catcher-first baseman for the Butler BlueSox. He wound up third in the Prospect League batting race with a .347 average.

"I had to prove to the scouts that I could hit consistently with a wooden bat and I feel like I did that," Smith said.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound catcher came off a stellar spring for the University of Pittsburgh in the Big East, hitting .361 with five homers and 46 RBI.

Baseball's amateur draft came and went without Smith being selected.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be chosen next year," he said. "This summer was all part of that. I had to show the scouts some things."

Because of injuries to teammates, Smith played first base in a number of games for the BlueSox. He had never played first base before in his life.

"He never even played around with the position," BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel said. "But he's such a natural athlete that all he had to do was get used to fielding ground balls. He handled himself well over there.

"Kevan Smith has the elements you can't coach. He has the size. He has the strength. Showing the ability to play first base should improve his stock as a pro prospect."

Smith admitted he was learning things about playing first base "right up until our final game."

He produced 10 doubles, two triples, a home run and 30 RBI to go with his .347 batting average this summer. Smith also caught more games than he had in any previous season.

"Kevan's got the tools back there defensively, but he did wear down a bit toward the end (of the season)," Wuerfel said. "That's a grueling position to play every day.

"First base would help save on some of that wear and tear. He could eventually learn to play third base as well."

Smith also had the opportunity to catch numerous pitchers during the summer — many of whom he had no prior contact with.

"That was different, yet beneficial," he said. "I know I have to get used to that. Once you figure out where a pitcher's arm, slot is, you can catch him."

Wuerfel agreed.

"But it's more difficult when the pitchers are more talented. Their pitches move a lot more," he said.

Smith and fellow SV graduate and BlueSox teammate Zach Duggan, Pitt's centerfielder, will soon return to the Oakland campus for fall baseball.

That regimen includes daily workouts and a couple of intra-squad games per week.

"It's all about timing and preparation," Smith said.

For him, it will also be about pulling inside pitches more effectively.

"Pitchers are generally intimidated by his size and don't want to throw him anything inside," Wuerfel said. "They stay away from him and Kevan sends those pitches up the middle or into right-center for hits.

"I've seen him get tied up often on inside pitches. As he continues his career, he has to learn to drive those pitches with authority to left field or he's going to see a steady diet of pitches in on his hands."

After coaching him for a summer, however, Wuerfel believes in Kevan Smith.

"He's got the tools and the willingness to work," the BlueSox skipper said. "And the more positions he can play, the more valuable he'll be to any organization."