Senior pitcher Blake Paisley will graduate in June, but he doesn’t plan on leaving his baseball career behind. Paisley plans to play for Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

“I really like the coach up there since he knows a lot about baseball,” said Paisley. “I am also getting a 40 percent scholarship, which is always good.”

When asked to compare it to a local university that would be more recognized by students, Paisley said he believes that Willamette is similar to Santa Clara University.

“The main difference between the two schools is the fact that Willamette has Division III athletics while Santa Clara is Division I,” said Paisley.

Paisley said he would like to play baseball after college, but he isn’t too concerned if that goal isn’t accomplished to a professional level.

“We will see how it goes,” said Paisley. “If I can make it, then good. But if not, then it really doesn’t matter.”

Paisley started playing baseball at age 6 and has been working on his game for the last 11 years. However, his rigorous work ethic has taken its toll on his body.

“Since I have pitching for so many years, the muscles on one side of my back are more developed than the other,” said Paisley. “Because of that, my entire spine became slightly rotated, and I had to see a chiropractor and attend physical therapy.”

Due to this injury, Paisley forced to sit out for part of the season. But Paisley sees a silver lining in every cloud.

“The injury has given me time to recover and hopefully perform better in college,” said Paisley. “I am very excited and hope next year goes well.”