Scotty McCreery: Just Your Average Teenager–Really!

Gossip magazines are forever trying to convince average Joes and Janes out there that superstars are "just like us!" Not so sure about that overall...but there is one star out there who really does seem to be genuinely normal.

That would be American Idol Scotty McCreery, who despite his household-name status, has managed to maintain the life of pretty much any average 18-year-old when not in the spotlight.

Skeptical? Well, let's take a look at what McCreery's been up to lately. First of all--and probably most important--he's not forgoing his education for fame. Like thousands of teenagers across the country, he'll be entering college this fall. McCreery applied and was accepted to four schools, ultimately choosing North Carolina State University.

It's likely he made his decision based on factors many kids use to select a college: The school is located near his hometown of Garner, N.C.--and it's where his dad, Michael, also studied back in the day.

In the meantime, before McCreery graduates, he's making sure he's getting the full "regular" high school experience, including extracurriculars. He's active in sports at Garner High as a member of the school's varsity baseball team. A promising pitcher from the beginning--in fact, when he had to bow out for a year due to Idol activity, his coach said it was "a blow" to the team--he's back in action on the mound this season.

Last month, he made headlines when, in his second varsity start ever, he took a ball to the throat in the third inning. That's a scary place for a singer to get hit, but McCreery pulled himself together to remain in and finish up the game.

Finally, McCreery also recently partook in that time-honored rite of passage for seniors--the prom! On April 21, the singer took a break from touring and attended the school event with a posse of buddies. His date was longtime friend Gabi Dugal, who appears in McCreery's video for "The Trouble With Girls."

The dance apparently was a success--although McCreery joked "They prolly had some trouble w/ boys tonight tho! hahah.. #twoleftfeet" on Twitter, he also tweeted the next day that he was "still pretty beat" from his big night out.

While he undoubtedly enjoyed his time as an ordinary teenager for a few weeks, McCreery will hang up his "everyman" status again this month and return to the road as part of Brad Paisley's Virtual Reality tour. You can keep up with his schedule here.

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