By Jason Brown WVSPN Correspondent LEWISBURG ? On a desk on some major league baseball scout’s office is a sheet of paper Seth McClung filled out. It is filled with tons of little questions about his natural attributes, his game experience and his fundamentals. Then there are his dreams. The question reads, "Where do you see your baseball career in seven years?"  Seth doesn’t mince words. His answer, "Game seven." "I want the most important game, the most intense pressure, all the marbles riding on my shoulders," the Greenbrier East senior said.

All the attention and interest in the Spartan hurler hasn’t snuck up on anybody. While growing up in North Carolina and Southern West Virginia, McClung has grown into his 6-foot-6, 235 pound frame with a polished match of confidence and talent.

While being ranked nationally as a top baseball prospect since before his sophomore season at East, McClung has drawn attention from top college programs across the country. This past fall he signed a national letter-of-intent with South Alabama in Mobile.

"When you’re my size and you throw 95 mph, people notice you," McClung said.

"I had my choice of more the fifty top Division I schools, like LSU, Oklahoma State, Florida State. South Alabama offered me a full ride. Everything they do is first class. Their recruiting trip was above all others the best. It was awesome."

Since the Jaguars sell out all of their baseball games and have already built a solid program, missing the College World Series by one game the last two seasons, McClung won’t have to come out of the blocks as a star. However, speculation is rampant that the senior pitcher might be looking at the prospect of skipping college entirely and accepting a professional offer after this year’s major league baseball amateur draft at the beginning of June.

"Who knows?" McClung said. "For me right now, it’s a win-win situation. If I go to school, I get to play baseball and basketball for South Alabama. If I go well in the draft, I get to play baseball year round. "I’m looking forward to good things whatever happens."

Whatever happens, Seth McClung is confident he will succeed. On top of Seth’s strong arm is his strong heart and mind. To keep himself eligible to attend South Alabama this fall, McClung must simultaneously complete Algebra I and II this semester. Which would be hard for most anyone, but for Seth it’s harder. He has dyslexia.

"I know that I’ve worked hard for what I’ve got. And I’ll keep working," McClung said. "Pressure isn’t baseball. Pressure is taking an Algebra II test."

Despite all of the attention, which Seth claims results in at least three to five calls a night, he has kept up his grades. McClung says they’ve dipped only slightly from a 2.9 GPA to 2.6. His defense is "senior-itis."

"School is tough and I know I have to just buckle-down," McClung said. "I’m 18-years-old. I still get tickled when people call and want to talk to me." The Spartans recently played class 4A James Island, S.C., in the Hannahan Invitational Tournament in Charleston, S.C. where McClung’s strong-arm got touched up for a few runs.  "I’ve got to take those games, shake myself off, and get back on the mound and improve," McClung said. Or take your mind off it. To relax from the pressures on the diamond, McClung participated in his other love, basketball, in the annual Scott Brown Memorial Classic which pits some of the state’s best basketball players against each other. McClung scored 26 points leading the Class AAA team to the victory and the game’s MVP award.

"I started playing basketball in the third grade in Charlotte, NC. Growing up, I always played basketball and baseball both. I just seemed to be better at baseball," McClung said. "People misjudge me because of my size. I like to shoot the ball. I like to run the floor. I love basketball."  Everyday though, Seth is reminded that his dream life hasn’t happened yet.  The Spartans are 8-4 so far and can’t always seem to find their way.  "Some days we beat a top-ranked team like Hurricane. Some days we get beat by a team we should beat like Princeton," McClung said. "Our goal is the state championship game.

"If we stop making senseless errors we have a chance. I feel we have the toughest region in the state with St. Albans, South Charleston and Woodrow Wilson.  "But I always remember watching ‘Bull Durham’ when Crash Davis said ‘It’s a simple game. Some times you win, some times you lose, and some times it rains."