• Wes Bloomquist •
• Originally published July 11, 2008 at 10:33 p.m., updated July 11, 2008 at 10:33 p.m.

Blake Payne is headed north to play baseball at Seminole State College in Seminole, Okla. after gaining a scholarship offer with a good summer league game in Hillsboro.

“The coach (Jeff Shafer) was there and saw me and offered me a full scholarship,” Payne said. “Basically he just told me to look at their website and see what I thought. After seeing the campus I decided it would be a good fit for me.”

The Memorial graduate who went 4-6 this season for the Vipers will join the Trojans in Aug. and is looking forward to his opportunity to play college baseball.

“I saw they have a real good tradition and a lot of good ball players have gone through the program,” said Payne of why he decided to extend his career at Seminole. “They have been real successful and are one of the best junior college programs in the nation.”

Professional players Eric Gagne, Adam LeRoche and Ryan Franklin have all gone through the Trojans’ program.

Payne also played center field for the Vipers, but said he’s planning on pitching. A move to the outfield could come though if he sees an opportunity.

“I need to gain some weight to help get more velocity on my pitches,” Payne said. “I might try out for outfield if they have some spots, but I think pitching is what I’m going to focus on.”

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