Brady Nelson returns to Jackie Robinson Field for his third straight summer with the Arroyo Seco Saints and Head Coach Aaron Milam. What makes this summer different is Nelson’s experience and mindset.

“[I am trying to] hit big numbers, get big and go to that Division I [school],” Nelson emphasized. “[I want] to get a full-ride [scholarship] and play for these schools that had their roster size change from 50 to 34 [players]; [I just want] to fill a spot that might be open.”

Nelson just wrapped up his first season at the NCAA level at St Cloud State in St Cloud, Minnesota. The Huskies compete at the Division II level, but that does not decrease Nelson’s competitive spirit and thirst to improve.

Before his freshman year of high school, Nelson moved from Sacramento to Oro Valley, Arizona where he attended Ironwood Ridge High School.

“It was a tight community; Tucson is the place to be, especially for baseball,” said Nelson as he reflected on his high school experience. “Arizona has awesome baseball; it was great competition.”

The depth of competition in Arizona prepared Nelson for baseball life after high school. Despite not receiving many offers from upper-level college baseball programs, Nelson stayed on the course and steadily improved as his collegiate years went on.

“[In college] I have grown as a person and as a player,” mentioned Nelson. “I’ve developed over time and can thank all of my coaches, Driveline and different people that have helped me along the way.”

As Nelson stated, he has encountered many different people along the way. At Arizona Western College, he played with his South Korean high school teammate Taehyung Kim, as well as older players from the Dominican Republic.

He described Arizona Western baseball as “military-style”, crediting their Hell Week for disciplining both his mind and playstyle.

Nelson took a leap after his redshirt freshman year at Arizona Western, improving his ERA (Earned Run Average) from 6.95 to 4.25. He also tacked on 33 strikeouts in his redshirt sophomore campaign and only allowed 51 hits and 23 earned runs through 48.2 innings pitched. He summed up his time in junior college as an overall “good time”.

After his successful redshirt sophomore year, Nelson took his talents to St Cloud State. He encountered various differences, but Nelson is no stranger to adversity. The Saints pitcher cited one big difference between junior college and NCAA baseball: wood bats versus metal bats.

“[St Cloud State presented] a difference in sound, play, where the ball is going to jump and where it is going to come back to,” Nelson explained. “Of course, going from Arizona to Minnesota, the weather difference is huge, [too].”

Despite the many obstacles presented to Nelson before his redshirt junior year at St Cloud State, he continued to build upon his positive momentum. Nelson posted a 7-1 record this past season. He accumulated a 4.80 ERA through 60 innings of work, giving up 68 hits and 32 earned runs.

Sticking with the trend of uncertainty and adversity in Nelson’s life, St Cloud State’s head pitching coach received a new job in the middle of last season; this abrupt change caused Nelson to question his future at St Cloud State. As Nelson’s 2025 baseball season came to a close, he decided to enter his name into the Transfer Portal.

“I did not know the direction that St Cloud was going to go [in],” Nelson commented. “I decided that it was time to have [my] last senior season [occur] somewhere big.”

One of the constants in Nelson’s life has been his summer baseball destination: Jackie Robinson Field. His allegiance to Coach Milam is in part due to the Saints’ skipper’s baseball knowledge.

“Milam is a great guy, he has his finger in everything,” stated Nelson. “He is a great teacher and a great mentor. He is the busiest man on Earth, but he makes time for us.”

Nelson also enjoys his Saints teammates: he takes pride in “helping out the younger guys.” Nelson’s role as a veteran is something he relishes. The third-year Saint loves to meet new guys and network. The diversity of collegiate experience across the Saints’ rosters is something that Nelson enjoys being around.

So far in 2025, Nelson has appeared in one game, posting three strong innings of shutout baseball. He has allowed three hits but has negated any damage with two strikeouts in his lone outing of the summer.

Both Coach Milam and Pitching Coach Aaron Treloar will continue to lean on Nelson on and off the diamond. Day in and day out, Nelson will continue to grind this summer in an effort to put himself in the best position possible to earn a scholarship to a Division 1 baseball program for his redshirt senior year.

Contributors:

• Saints reporter Tyler Bowne (San Diego State)
• Edited by Saints reporter Nick Olquin (Ashland)
• Graphic by Saints reporter Taylor Dowdy (Arizona)