Joey Villa plans to play baseball next spring at Oxnard College

Joey Villa, seriously injured in an auto accident after the Senior Prom in early May, is well on the road to recovery. Villa, who just graduated from Santa Paula High School, has undergone several surgeries and is in physical therapy. He’s doing remarkably well. “Everything’s feeling really good, I don’t need a cane to walk anymore and I get my jaw unwired in six days, he said. He’s had to use a feeding tube for nourishment and is looking forward to eating solid food again.Villa, who was a star varsity player at SPHS, intends to be on the Oxnard College baseball field next spring. “I’ll be in rehab for a year and I’ve still got the offer from Oxnard to play baseball next year,” he noted. “I’m very, very lucky.” His doctors say playing ball shouldn’t be a problem with how fast he’s healing. He’s also starting the fire academy paramedics class this summer. He chose firefighting because his aunt is a paramedic and her boyfriend’s also a firefighter. “They really got me interested in it,” he added.He says that he doesn’t remember anything about the accident. “The first thing I remember is waking up on the table when my breathing tube was being taken out,” he said. Villa said he was upset that the Ventura County Star said he had been out partying the night of the prom. He had intended to stop for something to eat in Saticoy, but just got off the freeway and went right back on again. He said, “I was way too tired to be driving.”