PORTAGE - Eli Brown was hoping to carry on a family tradition playing baseball in college. That looked promising until the coronavirus in early 2020 changed everything.

“The whole pandemic was a little tough,” admitted Brown, who has three older brothers, two - Blaine and Clayton - that played college ball at Ohio Northern while his father, Todd, played a year at Bowling Green. “I had interest before the pandemic from a lot of MAC schools, but they couldn’t come see me play (in the spring) and a lot of the interest went away.” 

That did not deter Brown, however, instead it only motivated the 103rd-rated 2021 in the state.

“I hit the weight room and now I’m stronger, faster and bigger,” the 5-7 165-pounder noted. “It’s improved my confidence. I took the quarantine seriously, I put the work in and I got results this summer.”

Youngstown State was one of the schools that took notice.

“It all started in the summer after my first tournament,” Brown related about a connection with YSU. “I was playing well and (assistant) coach (and recruiting coordinator, Eric) Smith reached out. They saw some video I had and they relied on that and word of mouth. Coach Rob (McNerney) with Ohio Elite has some good connections and along with that I sent video of everything I could get of myself out there.”

An unofficial visit took place after the football season at Bowling Green High School ended and Brown, who was getting looks from VMI as well as Division II schools such as Malone along with D-III colleges, was excited about what he saw.

“I really liked the campus,” noted Brown, who had previously played baseball with his summer team on the Youngstown State field. “It seems like a place I can grow and learn. It’s also closer to home than some of the other schools and I like that.”

The 19th-ranked senior shortstop in Ohio brings plenty of promise to the program at the Horizon League school.

“They like my versatility, that I can play anywhere they need me,” pointed out Brown, who is penciled in mainly in the infield but outfield is not out of the question in the eyes of Youngstown State. “They also like my bat and my base-running ability. I can swipe some bases.”

The talent to switch hit only adds to the resume for Brown.

“It’s just a little something I added on,” Brown said. “I started doing it freshman year. It’s just  a nice change in talking to coaches. Some of them were intrigued and some were not. For m,e it’s just another tool in the tool box.”

There is much more Brown believes he can provide Youngstown State after officially committing to the university located two hours and 45 minutes from his home in Bowling Green.

“I’m a huge competitor,” Brown noted. “I’ll do anything I can do to win or put my teammates in position to win. I’m hard working and lead by example. I’ll also bring some toughness there.”

A quarterback and defensive back on the BG football team, Brown has dreamed about being part of a program at the next level for some time.

“Since T-Ball I’ve wanted to play in college,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s always been my favorite sport since I was younger and going to watch my brothers play in tournaments. Playing catch with them on the side definitely helped my game. My love for it and my desire to play came from my family.”

Now Brown looks to become part of the baseball family at Youngstown State.

“It felt like home to me,” Brown said of time at YSU. “There are more opportunities school-wise there than at the other schools I was considering. It’s also close to home so my family can come and watch. They’ve played a huge role in my life and the more they can see me play the better.”

A 4.0 student uncertain about a major at college, Brown was more than happy to make a college commitment official.

“When I called the coach to tell him he was pumped,” Brown reflected. “For me it was a weight off my shoulders. Now I can focus on my craft. I’m relieved and excited to get to work there.”