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Trending NILES - Ethan Stade spent just a little over three weeks this summer with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Yet in that short time, he gained a great deal of admiration for the baseball fans of the Mahoning Valley.
"Man, the vibe inside the stadium is special," Stade said.
"Lots of fans, lots of excitement and energy and the fans go out of their way to make us feel welcome.
"It's a great atmosphere.
Even when I wasn't pitching, I just sat back and took it all in." In fact, Stade was so appreciative, he left behind a parting gift for the 2,830 fans who were at 7 17 Credit Union Field to witness his final performance in a Scrappers' uniform.
On July 4, Stade struck out the West Virginia side in order in the top of the second inning - the strikeout inning.
If a Scrappers pitcher accomplishes the feat at any home game this year, fans in attendance receive a free burrito from a local restaurant.
Stade became the first Scrappers pitcher this year to retire the side in order on strikeouts in the second inning.
Prior to July 4, fans hadn't cashed in on the promotion for two years.
Stade's heroics weren't appreciated just by the fans.
His overall performance caught the eye of the Atlanta Braves, who on Sunday selected the left-handed pitcher in the 18th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
"I've been a pitcher since the day I was first allowed to throw in organized baseball, I guess around 8-years-old," Stade said.
"I played a little outfield and first base in high school, but that was just between pitching assignments.
"When I first started playing travel ball, one of my first coaches said to me, 'You got something special, stick with this because you can make it big some day.' That always stuck with me and encouraged me to fight through any adversity and never give up." Following what Stade described as "a pretty uneventful and average four years" at Minnesota State University-Mankato, Stade played his final year of college ball at Bowling Green State University this past spring.
With the Falcons, Stade flourished.
He tallied 103 strikeouts, becoming the third BGSU pitcher in program history to reach triple-digit punchouts in one season.
His strikeout total ranked 21st in the nation.
Additionally, Stade averaged 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings, sixth in the nation.
He struck out six or more in each of his last nine college outings.
In his final home start he recorded a season-high 15 strikeouts, the most by a Falcon in 25 years.
"Going from Mankato to Bowling Green was like going to a whole different world," Stade said.
"Growing up in New Ulm (Minn.), I was just thirty minutes from home.
My family was able to come to all my games.
I loved playing there, the players and coaches were like family.
"At Bowling Green I was twelve hours from home.
It was a bit of an uneasy time at first.
I remember asking myself, 'Is this the place for me?' But that place quickly became my second home.
The people there quickly became a second family." Stade continued his dominance with the Scrappers.
In his four starts he gave up just two earned runs in 14 2/3 innings with 28 strikeouts.
In a June 28 game at State College, Stade worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings, facing 14 batters.
Of the 11 batters he retired, 10 came by way of the strikeout.
He followed that up with the July 4 performance in which he worked five innings, allowing two runs while recording nine strikeouts.
Stade was named MLB Draft League Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
Stade entered the draft weekend confident he would receive a call from an MLB organization.
"There always seems to be a need for a tall, left-handed pitcher who can throw strikes," Stade said.
"I'm not going to blow up the radar gun, I peak at around 93.
But there's something to be said for consistency, for being able to throw multiple pitches where you want them.
"Mixing things up and having good movement and command is a pitcher's best friend." Stade was one of seven former Scrappers drafted over the weekend.
TUESDAY'S GAME Following a nine-day hiatus, the revamped Scrappers returned to 7 17 Credit Union Field Tuesday for the start of a six-game homestand.
The Scrappers roster includes just four players who were with the team the last time it played a home game on July 4.
Unfortunately, the second-half portion of the schedule started much like the first-half ended.
The Scrappers finished the first half of the season in last place in the MLB Draft League standings.
Six games into the second half, they hold the same spot following a 9-6 loss to Aberdeen, After starting off the second-half portion of the schedule with a win, the Scrappers (14-21, 1-5) have dropped five straight.
The Scrappers struck early to take a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Cayden Evans reached on an error to lead off the frame, then scored on a Zion Williams triple.
Williams scored on a Jason Torres sacrifice fly.
A leadoff error to start the top of the third inning spearheaded a four-run outburst for the IronBirds.
After Dylan Winebrenner reached on a fielding error, back-to-back singles scored Winebrenner and cut the Scrappers' lead to 2-1.
Jevin Relaford followed that with a three-run blast deep over the left-field wall, giving Aberdeen a 4-2 advantage.
The Scrappers immediately regained the lead in the bottom of the third.
After the first two batters were quickly retired, four straight batters reached, accounting for three runs.
Kaikea Harrison doubled in one run, then Jordan Taylor - who also played for the Scrappers in 2024 - plated a pair of runs with a triple.
The back-and-forth continued in the top of the fourth, and this time Aberdeen flipped the scoreboard for good.
The IronBirds scored five runs, taking a 9-5 lead.
Relaford recorded his fourth RBI of the game with a single.
The big blow came when Nathan Earley greeted Scrappers reliever Jay Newman with a bases-clearing triple which scored three runs.
Williams led off the bottom of the sixth with his second triple of the game, then scored on a Maddox Mihalakis sacrifice fly.
That capped the scoring for the night.
The Scrappers and IronBirds return to 7 17 Credit Union Field tonight at 7:05 p.m.