Vanguard University

The athlete: Luke returns for his final season at Vanguard after an award-winning 2007 campaign…named NAIA National Scholar Athlete and was on the GSAC Scholar Athletes list while starting 40 of 41 games played…batted .343 with a team-leading 41 runs scored and 13 doubles to go along with five homers and 23 RBIs…is coming off his third straight solid season after earning a starting position as a freshman…has 126 games under his belt entering his senior season, having started in 110…has recorded 117 hits, 81 runs, 55 RBIs…had a .275 batting average as a sophomore…led VU in with 14 stolen bases in 2006…played his high school ball for Coach Ken Putman at Orange Glen H.S…earned first-team All-Valley League honors…Team MVP…also played football and basketball in high school…has played baseball for 17 years…is a utility type player…came in as a catcher but played mostly first base and outfield the past two years…good speed…aggressive base runner…has a strong arm…hits right, throws right…should be one of VU’s outfielders in 2008.

The person: Luke was born on January 20, 1986 in Oceanside, California to his parents Scott and Denise Butler…has two siblings, Cory and Amanda…is an Accounting student at Vanguard…sports hero is Tony Gwynn…loves to eat ice cream…cheers for the San Diego Padres and Chargers…likes the movie “Blue Streak”…watches “Baseball Tonight” and “NFL Sunday” on television…loves the color chartreuse and the number 21…favorite actors are Jim Carrey and Jessica Alba…says integrity is the most important characteristic for a person to have…most respects Carol Winters because she is an awesome lady…learned  that life is hard…baseball has taught him patience…career goal is to uphold strong, Christian, ethical values in the workplace.

His thoughts: I selected Vanguard to play baseball in a Christian atmosphere.  I really like the relationships I’ve built and the community at Vanguard.

Coach Mallernee’s comments: Luke is our lone senior.  He wants to finish with a championship.