Highland baseball has a rich tradition of making plenty of noise in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference every season. Senior Ethan Paisley has kept the buzz going throughout Riverside for the Huskies. He started playing baseball once he was old enough to swing a bat at three or four years of age. 

“I have played it pretty much my whole life starting with a wiffle ball bat and a plastic tee,” Paisley said.

So far, Paisley has played up to the definition of an ace pitcher. His highlights this season include a perfect game against class 3A Washington, a current tie for second in total strikeouts statewide, and more recently a perfect seventh inning against the Wolves of Winfield-Mount Union/Columbus on Friday, June 16, helping the Huskies to a 2-1 victory in front of the home faithful. The ace recalls his emotions after pitching the perfect game against Washington. 

“It [the perfect game] is a feeling most people do not get to feel. It is filled with so much joy and so much compassion that you finally did something that rare,” Paisley remarked. “It will probably live on with me for the rest of my life.”

It is not just Paisley’s pitching prowess that gives opponents headaches. In 52 at bats, he has managed to put the ball in play 19 times, leading the team. Paisley also leads the team in singles and owns the highest batting average. A thorn in the side when he gets on base, the shifty senior has scored 13 runs while stealing 17 bases. When asked about his base-running proficiency, Paisley gives a nod to his veteran experience. 

“I think it is just something that comes along with playing baseball for so long,” Paisley stated. 

Pitchers are unique players. If their rhythm is off, they risk being replaced or run a higher chance they walk more hitters. They face added pressure because their actions can dictate their team’s performance each game. How does Paisley handle the pressures of pitching? 

“To prepare for a game, I listen to music that is fulfilling and gives me confidence, but when I am on the mound that first inning every single time there are a little bit of butterflies,” Paisley explained. “I have learned how to contain the butterflies and use them to my advantage.”

Coaching Paisley throughout most of his high school career has been varsity head coach Seth Milledge. Milledge remembers when Paisley first pitched for the varsity team. 

“Ethan has pitched for us since he was a freshman, and he has always thrown consistently, has always thrown strikes,” Milledge said. “I never knew he was going to be special, but I knew he was going to work hard at his craft and be the type of kid who was always looking to improve.”

Of all the different qualities Paisley possesses, Milledge likes his competitiveness the most.

“His competitiveness is something that he feels like when he steps on the mound he is going to give us his best shot. He feels like he can go and compete with anybody, does not have a lot of doubt in himself when he is on the mound pitching,” Milledge continued.

Paisley is one of few seniors on the 2023 Highland varsity baseball team, and Milledge also prizes Paisley’s leadership. 

“His fire and competitiveness is something that our young guys can feed off of and see, our older guys can look to when they have their own self-doubt. Our hope is that we are just leading by example,” Milledge added.

Paisley graduated from high school unaware of where his future plans would take him. He has since found a new home. His next step will be continuing to play baseball, the sport he loves, at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, almost three hundred miles away from his hometown of Ainsworth. Paisley and the rest of the Highland Huskies will need to keep improving as district play looms right around the corner.