Valley Christian baseball star Jeff Paschke has moved to Santa Barbara and will play his senior season there, coach Kyle Smith said in an email.

Paschke is committed to Southern California and helped lead the Trojans to the 2A state championship in 2011 with an incredible sophomore season. He hit .620 that year with 17 homers and 72 RBIs as Valley Christian went 25-5 and knocked off Scottsdale Christian for the title.

He batted .481 with seven homers and 40 RBIs last year but the Trojans only finished 13-13. He was a first-team All-Tribune selection in 2011 and a second-team selection last year.

Paschke was expected to be one of the top returning players in the East Valley in 2013. With his departure, the Trojans return only two starters from last year.

Tags: Jeff Paschke, Valley Christian