As a fifth-year graduate student, Warren native Brandon Arnold was one of the oldest players on the Mercyhurst University baseball roster this past spring.

Yet from a baseball standpoint – and especially as a pitcher – Arnold is, in a sense, still a rookie.

With that in mind, Arnold is hopeful that his time in the MLB Draft League will lead to a baseball career beyond college.

Arnold was added to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers’ roster in mid-July.

“I feel that from a pitching perspective, my career still has a lot of growth and I haven’t come close to reaching my full potential,” Arnold said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity because it gives me the chance to continue to grow as a player. It gives me the opportunity to extend my dream of playing at the next level.

“Playing for the Scrappers, it’s like things have come full circle. I remember coming (to Eastwood Field) as a kid. I never imagined I’d be playing here in a Scrappers uniform.”

Arnold graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 2020. With the Raiders baseball team he was a self-described utility player. He primarily served as an outfielder, played some infield and pitched on rare occasions.

But just as Arnold’s senior season was about to start, COVID shut down all high school sports in Ohio. To make matters worse, Arnold was not yet locked into a college.

“It was a tough situation,” Arnold said. “I wasn’t committed to any school, and I didn’t have the chance to really make an impression during my senior year so my baseball future was up in the air.

“I was blessed. Joe Spano, who was then the head coach at Mercyhurst, had seen me play. He took a chance on me, and for that I’ll forever be grateful. He offered me a scholarship at a time when the recruiting process was at a standstill. I committed in July, and started school in August.”

Arnold was exclusively an outfielder at Mercyhurst during his freshman and sophomore seasons. During the fall of the 2022-23 school year – Arnold’s junior year at Mercyhurst – he stepped on the mound in the bullpen “just for fun” and threw some pitches. He displayed a lively arm. The coaches liked what they saw. By the start of the 2023 season, Arnold’s role with the Lakers evolved into a pitcher.

However, in the final game of the ’23 season, Arnold tore his UCL in his pitching arm. The injury sidelined Arnold for the entire 2024 season.

“It was tough because I was just learning the craft of pitching, I was just learning how to become a pitcher,” Arnold said. “I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I just placed my trust in God and in the process.

“I did everything within my power to get back on the field. I worked my butt off during rehab, all with the goal of returning to baseball.”

Though he missed his senior season from a baseball standpoint, Arnold graduated from Mercyhurst in 2024 with a degree in Sports Business Management. In the summer of ’24 he returned to the mound and threw in an in-game setting for the first time in over a year when he played in the Appalachian League.

Arnold then returned to Mercyhurst this past year and completed his collegiate playing career as a graduate student. He joined the Scrappers’ roster for the second half of the season, which focuses on players who have utilized all of their amateur eligibility.

“From a health standpoint, I feel like I’m back to where I was prior to the injury, I feel really good,” Arnold said. “From a pitching perspective I feel like I’m still learning, I’m still looking to become the best version of myself possible both as a pitcher and a player.

“I’ve been really blessed because I’ve been around coaches who have gone out of their way to help get me back into top form. I’ve been with teammates who are teaching me what it takes to be a pitcher. I can throw, but I’m still learning how to be a pitcher. And I’ve had a lot of guys help me in that process.”

Arnold is hopeful that the best is yet to come.

“I’m surrounded by a lot of talent, playing in a league that offers a lot of support and opportunities,” Arnold said. “I’m going to make the best of it and see where it takes me.”

CROSSCUTTERS 7, SCRAPPERS 2

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have been a complete Jekyll and Hyde team this season in terms of playing at home as opposed to the road.

Entering Monday’s game against Williamsport, the Scrappers owned a 16-8 record at Eastwood Field, while they were just 8-16 away from home.

The trend came to a screeching halt as the Crosscutters defeated the Scrappers 7-2 in front of 2,582 fans.

A two-out walk in the top of the first led to the game’s first run. After the first two Williamsport batters grounded out, Max Madler reached first on four pitches. Madler then scored when Marcus Brodil lined a double to the right field wall.

Scrappers starter Trent Harris walked the first batter he faced in the second inning, and again the free pass proved costly. Matt Flaherty’s RBI double gave the Crosscutters a 2-0 lead. One batter later the Crosscutters extended their lead to 3-0 on a Marquis Jackson groundout.

The Scrappers broke through in the third. Chase Nixon hit his second two-out double of the game. Matt Rivera then picked up his 13th RBI with a single.

Williamsport quickly regained their three-run lead in the top of the fourth courtesy of a Madler RBI single.

Williamsport starter Brad Rudis worked five innings, recording 10 strikeouts. Rudis scattered six hits and didn’t allow any walks.

The Scrappers cut their deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Ian Francis reached on a two-out ground rule double. Keegan Rodin stepped in as a pinch-hitter, and singled home Francis.

However Williamsport scored two runs in the seventh and added a run in the ninth to cap the scoring.

The Scrappers and Crosscutters conclude their brief two-game series tonight at 7:05 before the Scrappers travel to State College.