The best American Legion baseball players Pennsylvania has to offer will be showcased next week in Harrisburg.

And the Butler County league will be sending a trio of players to the East-West All-Star Game.

Prospect shortstop Mark White, Butler Township third baseman Chris Codispot and Mars pitcher Weston Hillegas each made it through three rounds of cuts to make the all-West team, which will take on the state's East stars at Commerce Bank Park next Tuesday.

On Monday, all players will take part in workouts that will display their talents as professional scouts and college coaches look on.

"I've been involved in Legion baseball in Butler County for 25 years and I can't ever remember three of our players getting to the state all-star game," said BCAL president Dess Schnur. "I know we had two make it in the same year on several occasions, but it's an honor for Butler County to have three recognized this year."

Earning a trip to the state all-star game is a feat in itself, but Schnur offers a few numbers to put the feat into perspective.

"There are 500 American Legion teams across the state with a total of about 7,500 players," he said. "And to be one of the 38 best players in the state, that's saying something."

The first round of cuts were performed by each league. The BCAL held its tryouts on June 10.

Next was the Region 7 tryout, held in Clearfield.

Four county players emerged from that event: White, Codispot, Hillegas and Butler City first baseman Josh Marchinoski.

The first three ended up making the final cut at the all-West game, held at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona in early July.

Each round is judged by a group of evaluators, which include pro scouts, college scouts and high school coaches.

"Nine players were chosen to move on from our league tryouts and, obviously, they were good, choices," said Schnur. "We ended up getting four to Altoona and three to Harrisburg."

"Every year I played baseball, I worked hard and put a lot of time into it," said Hillegas, who will be a sophomore at Penn State this fall. "This means a lot to me."

Codispot, an incoming senior at Butler High School, claims he's been playing baseball, "since I could swing a bat."

His mind-set during the all-star tryouts was a simple one, but it worked.

"I just kept telling myself to try and advance in each round and see how far I could go," Codispot said.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder played center field for Butler's junior varsity team his freshman year, his only season of high school baseball.

He did not play for the Golden Tornado the past two years.

"The practices, they ran very long and I was unable to make time for it," he said.

But Codispot did make time for Legion baseball and emerged as one of Butler Township's stars this season, his second on the team.

"I moved him back to third base," said Butler Township coach Gene Zawrotuk. "I didn't know him all that well, but after a couple of practices, I knew I had a steady ball player."

"He hit three or four home runs this season out of Highfield, and that's a pretty good poke," Zawrotuk added. "He's got excellent range, a strong arm and has got good speed for his size."

White starred for Slippery Rock High School as a pitcher and shortstop and picked up where he left off for Prospect.

His strong arm and steady right-handed swing helped get him a ticket to Harrisburg.

"I had no doubt he could get this far," said Prospect manager Paul Malley. "He's got a wealth of talent. It was just a matter of somebody seeing it."

Hillegas, a right-hander, is in select company when it comes to BCAL pitchers making the East-West game.

"I'm not certain, but he very well could be the first pitcher from our league to get this far since Matt Clement," said veteran Mars coach Bob Steiner. "I am a bit surprised that he got this far, just because we here in Butler County don't get many players to go to the state game.

"But Weston's got a good curveball and a fastball with movement," Steiner said. "Every once in a while, he'll mix in a sidearm delivery just to give the batter a different look."

"It depends on how my pitches are going and how tired my arm is," Hillegas said of the frequency of his sidearm approach. "I usually use it with my fastball, which has been clocked at 87 (mph)."