Central Catholic’s Brown to join longtime friend at Mt. Union

By: Michael Love
Sunday, February 6, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Monroeville resident Jaden Brown reached out to longtime friend Jaired Lehman, a Gateway graduate, as he went through his college baseball recruiting process.

Brown, a senior at Central Catholic who attended Gateway through eighth grade, was exploring Division III stalwart Mt. Union, and Lehman, a sophomore outfielder with the Raiders, was there to lend a hand.

The advice from Lehman, Brown said, was crucial in making his decision recently to commit to Mt. Union.

“Jaired was there when I did my overnight visit and tour, and he introduced me to the teammates I hadn’t already met,” Brown said.

“It was a great experience, and he gave a lot of good insight on what to expect. The first thing he told me once I officially committed was, ‘I’m proud of you, but the grind starts now.’”

The outfielder and shortstop said playing collegiate baseball always has been his dream.

“Ever since I was 5 years old and my step-dad handed me a baseball, I knew it was something I wanted to for as long as possible,” said Brown, a member of the Pittsburgh Hardball Academy travel team.

“I’ve been playing baseball for 12 years, and I can’t imagine life any other way. I originally wanted to go somewhere down south to play baseball. However, when I toured Mt. Union with my travel team, I immediately knew this was the university for me. Everything just felt right.”

Brown said he wasn’t deterred from increasing his stock in baseball after not making the Central Catholic team the past three seasons.

He said he continued working with the Hardball Academy and Steel City Selects.

“I’ve payed on a few different travel teams since I was 10 years old, but those two have been the most influential in my baseball career,” said Brown, who plans to try out for the Central Catholic team again this spring.

“They did everything in their power to support me, help me refine my baseball skills and get me recruited. They pushed me harder and never let me get discouraged. I can’t thank them enough.”

Brown said that while he primarily is a center fielder, the position he hopes to play at Mt. Union, he is ready to help out the team wherever and however he is needed.

Mt. Union finished the 2021 regular season with a 25-11 record in the Ohio Athletic Conference and earned the No. 2 seed for the conference playoffs.

The Raiders advanced to the championship series where they lost a pair of one-run games to nationally ranked and top-seeded Marietta to finish the season 28-13 overall.

In addition to his prowess on the baseball diamond, Brown has proven to be a contender on the wrestling mat. He said he’s also been in contact with the wrestling coach at Mt. Union.

Brown, who owns a 42-23 career varsity record over three seasons, is 17-3 for the Vikings this year. He went 4-2 at 160 pounds Jan. 14-15 at the Allegheny County Tournament at Fox Chapel High School and placed seventh out of 34 at his weight.

Brown also has wrestled several matches at 172.

Last year, Brown finished 12-5 and placed third at 160 at the Section 4-3A tournament.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic