Anthony Vega traded a graduation cap for a baseball bat, and he couldn’t be happier about it. A week after graduation from the University of Arizona with a degree in electrical and computer engineering, the Patchogue native returned to Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip on Friday, eager to start his fourth season with the Ducks, albeit a month late.

Vega left the Ducks last August to finish his degree. As part of the deal he signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012, Vega needed to resume his schooling within two years of his release, forcing him to leave the Ducks one month into the second half.

Thanks to some understanding professors and a promise to keep up on his homework, Vega was allowed to join the Ducks for their nine-day playoff run in September. Now, degree in hand, Vega is back in black and orange.