Brown off to great start before season, career cut short

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College baseball player Jon Brown (Haskins, Ohio/Otsego) has been a dependable piece of the Yellow Jackets' pitching staff for four years and was off to a great start to his final season. Then, the coronavirus forced the cancellation of the 2020 campaign, in which Defiance won seven of its first 10 games.

With spring sports across the nation ending way too soon this year, Division III student-athletes who are affected were granted another year of eligibility through new NCAA legislation. But many seniors, including Brown, plan to graduate soon and move on.

"Though I would love to play another year of baseball at DC, I must think about my future as well," Brown said. "After graduation, I have kicked around the ideas of going to grad school as well as jumping right into my career."

With some uncertainty about what he will be doing in the immediate future, Brown is scheduled to earn his bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in marketing from Defiance next month.

One thing is for sure: Brown definitely wants to be employed in business.

"After graduation, I would like to work for a larger corporation for a few years," Brown said. "I would then like to start my own company."

Outside of work, Brown also has some personal aspirations.

"As for future plans, I plan to travel and see as much of the world as I can, as well as start a family," Brown said. "I would like to in some way give back to the DC community, as well as the area I grew up in."

The 2020 baseball season was extremely successful for the Yellow Jackets as their .700 winning percentage goes down as the college's best in 52 years. Defiance was coming off seven victories in eight contests on its annual Spring Break trip to Florida when the campaign was halted.

"It was very exciting to see the team start to click more and more every day," Brown said. "Having the season and possibly my baseball career come to a very unexpected end was definitely a heartbreaking time for me, as well as many of my teammates. The team had put so much time and effort into preparing for the entire season, so having it taken from us was something no one could have possibly prepared and been ready for. Though my baseball career and time at DC may be coming to an end, my time at DC has been unforgettable."

This spring, Brown was the Yellow Jackets' starting pitcher three times, going 1-0 with a 2.87 earned run average. He had 10 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings.

As with all Defiance students, Brown has been taking his classes online as the COVID-19 pandemic affects so many people around the world.

"During this quarantine period, I have been staying very active lifting weights, as well as training for my first half marathon," Brown said.

As Brown's time as a DC undergraduate winds down, he certainly has many fond memories.

"My experience at DC has been life changing in ways I never could have imagined," Brown said. "In my time at DC, I have created lifelong relationships with students, teammates, coaches, as well as professors. I have learned many life lessons, which I believe have made me a better person. My time at DC really pushed me out of my comfort zone, which ultimately allowed me to become more social and interactive with others in the DC community while giving experiences I had never dreamed of."

According to Brown, his highlights at Defiance include competing in the 2019 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament; volunteering on and off campus; taking the spring trips to Florida; being involved in team and social gatherings; living with his best friends; and accepting the George Isaac Business Scholarship.

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the DC baseball program, while at the same time having the opportunity to meet so many amazing people as a student of Defiance College," Brown said. "I truly made a great decision in attending DC."

Defiance has impacted Brown, and in return he has made his mark on the institution as both a student and an athlete.

Brown carries a 3.86 grade-point average and earned a spot on the Tom Bohlsen Academic All-HCAC Team each of the past two seasons. As a pitcher, he made 31 career appearances with 24 starts, posting a 12-5 record and 4.62 ERA with two complete games. He struck out 70 over 136 1/3 innings.