Utility man Seth Button

Nick LaMantia Staff Writer Name: Seth Button Sport: Baseball Age: 22 Class: Senior Major:… Nick LaMantia Staff Writer Name: Seth Button Sport: Baseball Age: 22 Class: Senior Major: Social sciences

Getting drafted by a professional sports team is an experience that almost all young athletes dream of while growing up. But what about getting drafted when you are a fresh-faced 18-year-old who is getting ready to go to college?

Seth Button took that route. And now the 22-year-old senior is having a career year for the Pittsburgh baseball team.

He starred at Elk Lake High in Elk Lake, Pa., as a two-sport athlete in basketball and baseball, but baseball was his passion. Button was an all-star at four different positions and was named the Lackawanna League Division III North Player of the Year.

Button would lead Elk Lake to a state championship in the spring of 2003, but that wasn’t the end of his exciting senior year. The Cleveland Indians selected Button with their pick in the 50th round of June’s amateur draft.

He elected to attend Gloucester Junior College in the fall of 2003, where he led them to a 2005 NJCAA Division III World Series title. He was named MVP of that series, which was his last at the junior college. He was also named to the All-District G team and earned the title of NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year for his district.

Enrolled at Pittsburgh in the fall of 2005, Button would pass up on the opportunity to join a major league team to become the Panthers’ starting first baseman. In 2006, his nine home runs were good for second on the team, and his .305 batting average was fourth on the Pitt roster.

The social sciences major is hitting .301 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. These totals include his recent stretch of success in the series against Youngstown State and Louisville.

He hit .400 and had four RBIs as well as pitching one scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout.