As he wound down his scholastic baseball career at Penn-Trafford, Dylan Grabowski wondered what his next move would be.

He had only lukewarm interest from college recruiters, so he considered putting his cleats in the closet and going to trade school.

That’s when a Westmoreland County connection nearly 400 miles away breathed new life into his baseball career.

Franklin Regional grad Brandon Nania had been a record-setting player at Patrick & Henry Community College in Martinsville, Va., a town most famous for its nearby NASCAR track. Nania returned to the school as an assistant coach seven years ago and, in 2022, was appointed head coach.

During his time on the Patriots staff, he has created a WPIAL pipeline to the program. So he and Grabowski connected, and, suddenly, any thoughts Grabowski had of pursuing a trade were put on hold.

Now, Grabowski has gone from scant recruiting interest to a Division I program. After two seasons during which he hit .405 (109 for 269), with 21 homers and 104 RBIs — and 11-4 with a 4.03 ERA as a pitcher — Grabowski will play his final two years at Liberty.

“Honestly, it’s just crazy to think,” Grabowski said. “I never would have thought I came this far because I didn’t even know if I was going to play baseball.”

His 2025 season included a program-record 79 RBIs (he hit .394 with 12 homers). The player whose mark he bested? Nania (60).

Grabowski (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) also bettered Nania’s career mark for home runs — Nania hit 16 in his two seasons — and the coach said he was more than happy to cede his spots in the record book.

“I gave him a big hug,” Nania said about the RBI record. “I told him it was fun to watch it be broken by him and what he’s meant to the program. Nobody is more deserving than him.”

Nania helped the Patriots go 33-21 overall and 19-16 in conference play. The roster also included Ty Lagoni from Upper St. Clair, Aiden Dunlap from Hempfield and Anthony Alesi from Franklin Regional.

At times, Nania said, they batted in succession in the order and made up the entirety of the infield. They called themselves “The PA Turnpike.”

Grabowski’s highway, though, wasn’t pothole-free. After going 8-3 with a 4.92 ERA during his freshman season, he had to shut down his pitching duties after only five appearances this past season.

He had bone spurs and a bone chip in his right (throwing) elbow that later required surgery, so he settled into being the Patriots’ DH.

“It was definitely a setback,” said Grabowski, though he did pitch a no-hitter (seven-inning game) against Southwest Virginia on Feb. 14. He also homered drove in two of the Patriots’ three runs. “I definitely wish I could have gotten on the mound (more) this year.

“But I just had the DH role and had to get that down. But after a couple weeks, I kind of found my place and figured it out a little bit.”

Grabowski said he will be fully recovered from his elbow procedure in a couple of months, just in time to head to Liberty. He said the coaching staff there — head coach Bradley LaCroy and assistant Andrew Cox had shown some interest in Grabowski while they were at VCU — will give him the opportunity to be a two-way player again (he played second base at P&H when he wasn’t pitching).

Nania said Grabowski has the chops to handle double duty at the Division I level.

“He’s a very mature person,” the coach said. “He’s a very even-keeled player. … And when he gets to Liberty, I think he’s going to have the ups, and he’s going to have the downs just because of the caliber of pitching. So the mental side of it … that’s where he’s going to be able to be that much better.”

Grabowski said he is ready for the new challenge.

“With baseball, I’ve got a love for the game, and the passion’s there,” he said. “I’m just going to try to take it as far as I can.”

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