Bryce Butcher put his feet in the middle of the field, jumped on the ball in the air and shot it successfully…
Under objection against UCLA? Can the hit into the left-center field gap against Seattle be saved?
In fact, the same man did both plays.
Boettcher is an Oregon baseball and football star (and former athletic career) who was selected in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Astros but delayed the start of his minor league career to see how far he could go in the field.
He is expected to be selected in the mid-round in next week’s NFL draft as a linebacker and a four-round special teams starter.
“You can’t hit anybody on the baseball field,” Butcher said in the NFL. “I love baseball, though [football] Makes me feel alive. There’s a reason I’m here.”
Butcher will never be confused with Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders. But in the era of single-sport specialization among young people, he is an example of a dying breed.
“He’s smart, strong, instinctive and plays faster than he’s timed,” one NFL executive told The Post. “He should be a good, competitive starting team, if not a good third-down back. He’s done a good job of making his focus on the football known.”
Baseball was Butcher’s first love — Derek Jeter was his favorite athlete during his childhood — and it was his ticket to staying in his hometown of Eugene, Oregon, fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a Duck.
He used an elite glove but struggled with the bat before walking into new football coach Dan Lanning’s office and asking for a tryout in 2022.
If anything, joining the football team and developing a strong reputation seems to have elevated Butcher’s baseball career.
On April 29, 2023, Butcher pitched in Oregon State’s spring football game and later pitched to the baseball diamond to enter the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning. By 2024, he was an NCAA Gold Glove-winning center fielder who hit .276 with 12 home runs, 35 RBI, 46 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.
Boettcher was evaluated by baseball scouts as an agile, long-paced center fielder who relied more on natural physical ability than refined skills.
He was selected as a good pick for an organization willing to bet on high cosmetics and booms like raw power and a short strike to pull off the fastball.
“An excellent athlete with a power play, similar to Eric Burns,” one MLB scout told Joel Sherman of The Post. “But at-bats come with the risk of reaching the major leagues.”
The Astros landed a flier in a draft slot with a $150,000 signing bonus and supported Boettcher’s decision to get involved in football.
“[Baseball] “It’s up in the air right now,” Butcher said. “I’m a total football follower, and I want to win the Super Bowl. Obviously we’re waiting to see how the draft turns out, but [the Astros] I was very understanding, knowing that I was from Oregon and wanted to finish my playing career there and have an equal opportunity in football.
What happened when Butcher became singularly focused?
He won the 2024 Burlsworth Trophy as the FBS MVP who started his career as a walk-on and reached another level with 136 tackles (No. 6 in the country) in 2025. He is a missile in punt coverage, kickoff returns, and an option to block punts.
He threw a ceremonial first pitch at an Oregon State baseball game while wearing shoulder pads.
“I’ve never met anyone so passionate about it [football] “I play as hard as I do. I feel like that’s No. 1 in football. Someone with passion and someone with physicality is going to win a lot of games — and that’s me,” Butcher said.
Another NFL executive said that, in his organization’s eyes, a viable Plan B for Butcher if he struggles in football is not a deterrent that could result in a lower player being drafted without a backup option. Butcher’s “intangibles” give him a boost compared to other midfielders.
“The thing I’m most proud of is the way I’ve improved when it comes to the mental game of soccer,” Butcher said. “When I first came, I was tougher. I knew what Cover 3 and Cover 2 were. But there are a lot of ins and outs of the game that I learned, and that definitely helped my game grow.”