From leadoff hitter to cleanup man, Yough High School senior Tom Burkett has grown into one of the top baseball players in the WPIAL this spring.

A four-year starter, Burkett led Yough to its third section title in six seasons last year when he batted .480 with five home runs and 29 runs batted in. He was also 14 for 14 in stolen base attempts.

"He was our leadoff hitter the first two years he started for us, but we moved him to cleanup last year when he got a little bit bigger and stronger," said Cougars coach Terry Odelli who has led Yough to the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs six times since 1999.

Burkett has made a verbal commitment to play baseball at Division I Charleston Southern. He drew interest from local major-college programs such as Pitt and Duquesne.

"I decided to play there because of the longer season for baseball," said Burkett, who has indicated that he has visited the campus three times already, including a baseball camp last summer.

"They will be graduating their three [starting] outfielders after this year, so I feel I'll have a shot to play a little bit when I get there," said Burkett, who estimates he played in about 80 organized games last summer.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound outfielder, Burkett played for three different teams last summer, including one for college players and former college players.

He plans on playing for the Southwest Bulldogs traveling AAU team this summer, but Odelli indicated that Burkett will also play for the Yough American Legion team. The Yough legion team is scheduled to resume play in District 31 (Westmoreland County) after taking a one-year hiatus.

A right-handed batter and thrower, Burkett earned all-section honors last year. He began his career for the Cougars as a left fielder his freshmen year, and he has been one of the top fielders in the section patrolling center field for the past two springs.

Burkett was also a starting wide receiver/defensive back for Yough's conference-championship football team last fall. With his speed of 6.54 seconds in the 60-yard dash, Burkett also returned punts and kickoffs on the football team.

"My teammates for football gave me a hard time for missing [several voluntary football workouts last summer] because of baseball," Burkett said. "It wasn't anything that serious. It was more like they were kidding me about it.

"I missed some baseball [games] because of football, too. But it's worked out. My mother was really a big help in scheduling the baseball camps for me around football [workouts]. I have no regrets [about attempting to play both sports in high school]."

Odelli is glad to have Burkett for one more season.

"He was pretty good in football, too," Odelli said. "But instead of football, he was hoping to get a scholarship in baseball so he spent the whole summer last year going to camps and playing for as many teams as he could. I know he's worked out for about five or six pro scouts."

Burkett went to an elite baseball camp at Falconi Field, home of the independent league Washington Wild Things where he was consistently timed in less than 6.65 seconds in the 60.

"That turned everybody's head, especially when he almost broke 6.5," Odelli said. "A lot of the local schools showed interest and I heard from [Division I] Niagara. Charleston Southern two or three times and they really like Tom. He has a lot of ability."