Reese McGuire didn’t have much time to enjoy Kentwood’s 4A state baseball title in the spring.

McGuire, who is a catcher and left-handed batter, had to make sure he got all his school work done as well as his final exams because he had to leave school a week early to play more ball.

“I had to cram all my homework and finals in so I could head out to the showcase,” McGuire said. “I haven’t really gotten that much time to spend as a high school kid in the summer going out and doing things.”

Days away is the start of his senior year at Kentwood High but McGuire will miss the first week of his last year as a Conqueror because he was picked for the 20-man roster of the United States 18U national team.

But, that’s how his summer vacation will end.

It started a week early with trips to play in showcase games. McGuire, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, went to Minnesota to play in the Perfect Game showcase for the top 40 players in the country.

“That was basically a try out,” McGuire said. “Going into it, I think I was kind of pre-picked. I still went out there and played 100 percent, not taking anything for granted. It was definitely a really good opportunity for me to see the competition from around the country, size myself up, see what I could work on.”

From Minnesota he went to North Carolina to play for a spot on the 40-man roster of the national team from a pool of the top 160 players in the U.S.

“You play in front of a ton of scouts,” McGuire said. “It’s basically a tournament. From that we all stayed and trained with the USA coaches and played some games against each other. We actually mixed in with the college guys. That was a cool experience because you were playing against the top college guys.”

McGuire, who has verbally committed to play at the University of San Diego, said it was an opportunity to learn about what playing college ball is like from athletes doing it now.

At the end of that experience, he made the 28-man roster, then got home in time for the Fourth of July.

Next up was the Area Code Games where he played on the Northwest team in early August in Long Beach, Calif. Before he left for that tournament, McGuire said he expected there to be hundreds of college and professional scouts there to see some of the best baseball players from around the country.

While the opportunity to play college ball, like his older brother Cash who will be at Seattle University this fall, is a great option McGuire and his family have been told by experts the Conqueror catcher has a shot to be selected in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft right around the time he is slated to graduate from Kentwood.

That’s why traveling all over the country playing ball right now is important, to get whatever exposure he may need to land in the best spot possible in the 2013 draft.

“It’s every kid’s dream, everybody wants to be a professional baseball player,” McGuire said. “I just want to go out and play the game. If there’s a possibility of getting drafted early and have a chance to go out and work my way up, then I would definitely choose that route. Being on the national team right now, the 28-man roster, and the All American game, the writing is on the wall that I’ve got this great opportunity and I’m one of the top catchers in the nation.”

Mark Zender, head baseball coach for Kentwood, who has coached for nearly 30 years and played at Seattle University, said McGuire is the kind of rare talent who brings more than just a big bat and exceptional skills behind the plate to a team.

“First of all, I think he’s just a tremendous talent,” Zender said. “Most coaches and teams just don’t get talent like that. Reese is just at a different level. He certainly has the raw God-given skills to play at any level. He’s a catcher, that probably has a bigger affect on the game than if he were a pitcher. He affects the ability to score. When Reese is playing, it’s just difficult (for opponents to score). It’s a huge benefit for our team to have that.”

Off the field, Zender noted, McGuire is a nice kid who is quiet and is liked by his teammates because he works hard and doesn’t have a huge ego.

“He’s not a prima donna,” Zender said. “Kids with that talent are told by a lot of people that they’re talented. He’s pretty grounded. A lot of people want to hitch their wagon to kids like that. So, he’s resisted all of that.”

Plus, McGuire’s talented older brother being just a year ahead of him in school has helped the middle boy — there’s another McGuire son, Shane, also a left-handed hitting catcher who will be an eighth grader at Mattson Middle School this fall — stay humble, Zender added.

Next spring, Zender said, he hopes to see McGuire step up now that Cash, Taylor Jones, Skyler Genger, to name a few, have graduated from a team that has won two state titles in three season.

As for his summer ball, Zender said whenever his players get the opportunities to play in showcases and compete against top talent it helps the high school team, but the coach also knows where this could lead for McGuire.

“He’s doing a lot of neat things,” Zender said. “He’s playing in these different things with other kids that are gifted like he is and he’s getting higher competition and that’s only going to help his confidence. He’s getting some exposure to major league scouts. They talk to coaches, so, I know he’s already been discovered. They know who he is.”

Still, McGuire knows he has some things to work on, though he feels comfortable with his ability in the batter’s box as a catcher there’s always things he can do to get better behind the plate.

“I do a pretty good job framing pitches, but, it’s the certain way I turn my glove as the pitch is coming,” McGuire said. “I have to turn my glove a little bit (so it’s in the right spot). With the pitchers throwing harder, it’s a little bit harder. I’m the type who likes to be involved in every play. I’m the only guy who faces the field, so, there’s a leadership role there. That’s really exciting, too, because when someone comes to the plate I’m thinking about how to set things up to get this guy out. It’s cool being a catcher.”

Zender said he plans to advise McGuire to take a break sometime before high school ball starts in the spring and just enjoy his last year at Kentwood.

McGuire said he does get a little bit of time off this summer, but, he had just a week before heading back to try and make the 20-man USA 18U roster this week.

It’s no surprise McGuire eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. His father played as do both his brothers. That’s what the family does together though he does like to just hang out with his friends or his family to relax or when the sun’s out, spend some time out at the lake.

“He really does love the game,” Zender said. “He’s really a thinking player. He’s a very intellectual player. It isn’t just raw physical skills. Mentally he’s at a whole different level than what most high school kids are doing out there. He has a great future for sure.”

A future filled with baseball that could well take up the rest of his summer vacation and McGuire’s first week of his senior year at Kentwood.

He wouldn’t want it any other way.