Saxony Lutheran alum Eli Brown 'blessed and humbled' to be part of Lindenwood history

Former Saxony Lutheran High School pitcher Eli Brown has gone from an NCAA Division II player to a Division I player over the course of an offseason while staying in the same place.

On Saturday, Brown will toe the rubber for Lindenwood during the Lions' first series as a Division I program at Nicholls.

"I’m very blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to play college baseball at the D1 level," Brown said. "It’s been exciting to see the Lindenwood program transition from D2 to D1 and be a part of both of those."

Brown was a Semoball Award finalist as a senior at Saxony Lutheran. Lindenwood's plan to transition to Division I wasn't part of the recruiting pitch but there were rumors at the time.

"It was not ever explicitly said that a transition was for sure," Brown said, "but the trajectory of Lindenwood, in general, pointed to the school going Division 1. It was cool to see those rumors come true and be a part of the transition."

Brown compiled a 4.11 ERA in 46 innings and eight starts as a freshman while the Lions went 27-24. After his freshman season, Brown pitched for the Cape Catfish of the Prospect League over the summer and punched out 42 batters over 49.2 innings.

"Playing with the Catfish definitely gave me a better sense of confidence about the level of competition I would be seeing this year," Brown said. The Prospect League has a lot of talent all throughout and it was great to get that type of exposure to that level of players."

Brown said he increased his fastball velocity after spending the offseason building his strength in the weight room.

"I knew I had to get my body into better shape and make sure I would be able to withstand throwing however many innings my coach asks of me," Brown said.

The Lions were picked to finish last in the OVC Preseason Poll, while Southeast Missouri State was picked to win its third straight title.

"As a team, we’re trying to make the most of this opportunity we’ve been given," Brown said. "Our expectations are that we’re capable of winning a lot of games this year, and we’re going to give everything we have day in and day out."

16-year head coach Doug Bletcher announced on Feb. 6 that he will retire after the season. PJ Finigan joined the coaching staff after spending three years at Southern Illinois Edwardsville and will be the head coach next year.

Lindenwood host Minnesota State Mankato for their first home opener as a Division I program. The Lions travel to Missouri on Feb. 28 and will host St. Louis on March 7 for their first home game against a D1 opponent. The Lions travel to Capaha Field to take on SEMO on April 28-30, a familiar field for Brown.