Ethan Patterson, a 2020 graduate from McNary, recently signed to attend and play baseball at Simpson University in Redding, Ca.
After graduating from McNary, Patterson transferred from Chemeketa Community College to Dakota College at Bottineau, an NJCAA division 2 community college in North Dakota, a transition he described as “smooth.”
After two seasons at Dakota, he received a scholarship offer to Simpson, an NAIA school in Northern California. And after visiting the campus, seeing the new facilities and new field being built, Patterson accepted.
And being closer to home isn’t the only avantage Redding offers compared to North Dakota.
“The weather helps out a lot,” Patterson said.
After pitching and playing outfield at Dakota and McNary, Patterson plans to limit his scope at Simpson.
“I just want to hit and play outfield,” Patterson said. “I’m done pitching for the rest of my life.”
While at Dakota, Patterson said he had the opportunity to see and learn from players from all over the world. He faced pitchers from all different levels with different velocities and mechanics.
And he learned from his teammates too, even the younger ones. Patterson said that he got tips from freshman Austin Medina this past season.
“His outlook on hitting was a lot different than mine and he was a really good hitter,” Patterson said. “That helped my game even more.”
