BUTLER TWP — At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Butler senior Mick Fennell is hardly an imposing figure on the mound.

Until he releases the ball.

“That kid should be a closer,” Jack Kucek, his pitching coach, said. “He throws the split-finger fastball as well as anyone I’ve seen.

“I’d put him out there for the last inning and go to lunch, because he can literally be unhittable.”

Kucek pitched in the major leagues with the White Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays and was taught how to throw the splitter by Fred Martin, the same man who taught Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter how to deliver the pitch.

“Mick’s got the mechanics, the motion, the arm slot ... He has the mechanics of (San Francisco Giant all-star) Tim Lincecum,” Kucek said.

“His future is on the mound. I’d recommend him to any college coach in the country.”

Fennell isn’t straying all that far, actually. He signed a letter of intent to play baseball at California (Pa.) University recently.

A middle infielder for the Golden Tornado last spring, Fennell has also played center field in high school as well as pitch. He will be an every day position player as well as see mound duty for the Vulcans.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m going there,” Fennell said. “I wanted to find a place to do both and they’re giving me that opportunity.”

Why not?

Fennell has hit a combined .411 — 51 for 124 — with only seven strikeouts. He put together a 24-game hitting streak over the past two seasons that included 35 hits in 76 at bats, a .461 average.

“Every time he comes up to the plate, Mick has an idea of what he wants to do,” Butler coach Todd Erdos said. “He’s selective and knows what pitch he wants to hit.

“At the high school level, that gives him a huge advantage over other players.”

Erdos formerly pitched with the New York Yankees and said Fennell has the potential to pitch professionally down the road. A right-hander, Fennell has hit 90 miles per hour on the radar gun.

The only thing he fails is the eye test.

“Mick’s not 6-foot-4, 220,” Kucek said. “That’s wat scouts look for these days. But his curve ball falls off a table and he makes hitters look silly. That’s what I see.”

“He’s going to continue to get bigger and stronger and he’ll throw faster,” Erdos said. “But this kid’s biggest strength is his athletic ability.

“He has speed, quickness and the ability to play a number of positions. As his body matures, his velocity increases.”

Mike Conte is 424-288-4 in 15 years as coach at California. He was named Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2010, has won six PSAC West titles and the Vulcans haven’t had a losing season since 1999.

Fennell visited Kent State, Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.) before making his way to California.

“Once I got there, met the coach, saw the campus and the facilities, that was the place for me,” Fennell said. “I’m confident I can help the team win and fulfull my goals there.”

Among his goals are to be drafted by a major league organization at the end of his junior year in college. Fennell could get selected at the end of the upcoming high school season.

He’s attended baseball showcases run by Colorado Rockies regional scout Ed Santa and has worked out for a Seattle Mariners scout already.

“I suppose it could happen,” Fennell said of being drafted next June. “That’s every kid’s dream. I’d have to weigh it and see if it’s in my best interest to go.”

For now, he is California-bound.

“The coaches have told me I’ll probably be a middle infielder for them,” Fennell said. “I’m just glad my college choice is set and I can concentrate on helping our high school team go as far as we can go.”