Two Pella Christian baseball seniors have made decisions about where they plan to continue their careers.

All-State shortstop and pitcher Will Dembski is heading to the California Institute of Technology, while catcher Lawson Bruxvoort is going to Dordt. Both say they look forward to the unique challenges of the college game.

“When I was thinking about colleges. I really wanted to go to a good academic school and baseball was really the second thing on my mind,” Dembski says. “When I was looking all these top schools, I was thinking ‘I’m not sure if I’m able to get in on my own merit’, I mean, I feel like I could, but it’s just nothing’s given, so I was thinking if I talk to the baseball coach, maybe he can write me a letter of recommendation so I can get in that way. I just reached out to the coach and he responded pretty quickly and was willing make it happen.”

“It’s nice to know I will be around people that I know, but I’m really excited to be up there with Isaac Vander Hart, Dillon Branderhorst, and Jason Holwerda–they all play up there right now, so it’ll be nice to see familiar faces, but it’s also a new experience in that college baseball is a lot different than high school,” Bruxvoort says.

Dembski has 14 career home runs and 34 stolen bases, and was a 4-2 pitcher last summer, striking out 62 in 40 innings. Bruxvoort is returning from injury — he had just one hit and was limited to a handful of games during his junior campaign.