A new era of Mahoning Valley Scrappers baseball will be ushered in tonight when the Scrappers open their season with a road game at West Virginia.

First pitch is slated for 7:05. Following a two-game set against the Black Bears the Scrappers will open the home portion of their schedule on Wednesday with a game against State College. The Scrappers will play five consecutive nights at Eastwood Field in their first homestand.

For the first 21 seasons of their existence, the Scrappers were a member of the New York-Penn League — a short-season Class A professional minor league franchise. Throughout the tenure the Scrappers were an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Following a summer lost to COVID, the Scrappers now return as a collegiate summer team and a member of the newly-formed MLB Draft League. The league is designed to showcase college (and in some cases high school) players ahead of the July draft. Because of the amateur status of the league, players with remaining eligibility have the option of returning to their college teams at the end of the season.

The league consists of the Scrappers and three other former NYPL franchises — State College, West Virginia and Williamsport. It also includes Trenton (formerly of the Class AA Eastern League) and Frederick (formerly of the Class A Carolina League).

“We’re excited to get going, I think everyone is just thrilled for the return of baseball,” MLB Draft League president Kerrick Jackson said. “I’ve visited the sites of some of our teams, I’ve been following social media and such and I can tell you there is a lot of anticipation surrounding our inaugural season.

“Fans are going to get to watch some of the best college talent in the nation, and these players are going to be on a stage where they can showcase their talents to every Major League franchise. The level of play will be every bit as good as what the fans in these cities have seen in the past.”

The Scrappers’ early-season roster will experience many changes in a short period of time. Many players scheduled to be part of the team will not arrive until their college season is complete. Jackson noted that others who might have earlier committed to be part of the league will bow out based on advice from coaches or advisors.

“This will definitely be a work in progress early on for all six franchises,” Jackson said. “For fans of minor league baseball, this is nothing new.”

The Scrappers roster at the time of this writing included a pair of former Champion High School teammates Drake Batcho (University of Cincinnati) and Michael Turner (Kent State University). Youngstown State University pitcher Collin Floyd (9.3, 2.17 ERA) also was on that roster.

Floyd played high school ball at Akron Springfield.

Other Ohio connections to the roster include: Garrett Schoenle (University of Cincinnati), Nick Zwack (Xavier University) and Dan Harwood (Butler University, native of Brecksville).

Schoenle, a starting pitcher, is 6-3 this season with the Bearcats with 80 strikeouts in 70 innings of work.

Harwood, a high school All-American a year ago, is batting .309 at Butler.

Jackson noted that when the Scrappers were part of the NYPL, their roster consisted of recent draft picks and free agents. Prior to 2020, the MLB Draft took place in mid-June.

“Now you get to see the talent before they get drafted, you’ll watch these players as they transition from amateur to pro,” Jackson said. “This will provide a whole new dynamic. It’s also fascinating in that these players can end up with any one of thirty Major League organizations.

“This is a showcase league, but at the same time we’re here to compete and to develop these athletes. Whether they turn pro or return to school, we want to make them better players over the next few months.”

Tickets for the Scrappers’ home opener and all other home games are available at the Eastwood Field box office.