Sports Information photo: Senior Jay Rivera has been a part of two consecutive Pennsylania State Athletic Conference West championship teams. He hit .333 this season.Jaasiel “Jay” Rivera is a hard person to miss on campus.

Just look for the Dominican student with the black New York Yankees hat, brim always forward. If that’s not enough, just keep an eye open for his impeccably clean Nike basketball sneakers.

Rivera, a senior, is all about Nikes, to the point where he cleans his sneakers with a pencil eraser, being sure to wipe all evidence of dirt or grime that may have accumulated throughout the day. Rivera considers himself a “sneaker-head,” or someone who collects rare, limited or exclusive sneakers.

Jaasiel “Jay” Rivera is a hard person to miss on campus.

Just look for the Dominican student with the black New York Yankees hat, brim always forward. If that’s not enough, just keep an eye open for his impeccably clean Nike basketball sneakers.

Rivera, a senior, is all about Nikes, to the point where he cleans his sneakers with a pencil eraser, being sure to wipe all evidence of dirt or grime that may have accumulated throughout the day. Rivera considers himself a “sneaker-head,” or someone who collects rare, limited or exclusive sneakers.

“My favorite pair of sneakers is my Air Jordan X or ‘10s’ as my fellow sneaker-heads call them. I think they have a very sleek design,” Rivera said.

Rivera picked up his sneaker-collecting hobby back in his hometown, Bronx, N.Y. Rivera can remember being a young kid, watching Ken Griffey Jr. set home run records and begging his mother for a pair of Air Griffeys.

Now, Rivera majors in finance with a minor in economics, learning skills that have allowed him to accumulate 19 pairs of basketball sneakers. He leaves 13 of them safely boxed up back home. He makes sure to always have enough money to buy the newest pair of Jordans each year.

Rivera’s passion for basketball sneakers is not the only thing he brought from Bronx. Just a short walk from his home Rivera can find himself outside the stadium of the most successful baseball team of all time, the New York Yankees.

“I live 20 minutes from the stadium, so I immediately fell in love with the Bronx Bombers (New York Yankees),” Rivera said.

He began playing baseball when he was only six years old, playing on multiple summer teams and playing for Cardinal Hayes High School.

Playing baseball in the middle of the busiest city in the world is very different from playing on the quiet hills of Pennsylvania. Rivera recalls the transition from playing in Bronx to Erie as being difficult to grasp at first.

“Sometimes the trees have white leaves, making the ball hard to see,” Rivera said.

Rivera could always depend on the giant buildings that compose the concrete jungle of the Bronx.

During every practice and game, the dark apartment buildings and steel office skyscrapers surrounding Cardinal Hayes baseball diamond provided Rivera with the ideal backdrop to spot fly balls and stack outs for his high school team.

Even so, Rivera finds little difference in the teammates he has had.

“The only difference between my past and present teammates is where they are from; baseball is a universal language, no matter the player,” Rivera said.

Rivera is not just a baseball player at Mercyhurst University, but also an intramural supervisor, ball boy for soccer, football and basketball games, president of Diversity Club and a member of the Student Advisory Board.

The only way Rivera is able to juggle all of these extracurriculars alongside baseball is because he a perfect example of a multi-tasker.

“I’m used to getting things done quicker than people not from the city. A New York minute is faster than a regular minute, so I’m used to multitasking,” said Rivera. “People often tell me I walk too fast.”

With the baseball season and Rivera’s time as a Mercyhurst Laker ending shortly, Rivera has great plans for the future.

“I want to go back to New York City and become a financial adviser so I can help the people of the Bronx,” Rivera said.

Rivera and the Lakers still have work to do on the field. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament begins Wednesday, May 2, against Millersville.