Isaiah MacFarland isn’t ever going to play the role of a power hitter for the Penn Hills baseball team. But if there is anything else the 4-foot-11 junior utilityman can do, he is happy to contribute.

It’s a mature attitude but also one that is necessary for the Indians.

Penn Hills only has 10 players at its disposal, and everyone must stretch their skillsets.

MacFarland, who feels most comfortable in the outfield, also has played first base and pitched for Penn Hills.

The Indians beat Carrick, 10-0, in five innings April 27 at home to snap a 34-game losing streak that stretched back to 2024.

“Being the shortest guy on the team has its struggles,” MacFarland said. “I’m not the strongest guy on the team. It’s hard to make contact and to hit it far. I have a small strike zone and get walked a lot. I’m fast so I can steal bases.”

MacFarland said he started playing baseball when he was 3 years old. He wanted to play because his grandfather, Larry Milbourne, played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball.

MacFarland said his stature is due to slow hormone growth. He doesn’t expect to get much taller.

Fellow Penn Hills junior Mason Wade first met MacFarland when they were on a baseball team together in sixth grade. Wade said MacFarland handles adversity well.

“He just tries to be perfect at everything,” Wade said. “That’s what I love about him because even when he is not, he may get mad. It’s going to affect him sometimes, but then he’ll just keep trying and trying until he gets things right. It helps us a lot with everything.”

MacFarland was brought in to pitch against Plum and Latrobe. The Indians (1-11, 0-10) lost both games. He threw 4 1/3 innings and gave up five hits, struck out five and walked two. Against the Wildcats, MacFarland was able to work out of a bases- loaded jam.

“He does the best he can and because of his stature, I feel like a lot of these teams, they want to sit back and rear back on him,” Indians coach Joe Capobianco said. “He surprises a lot of them. If you aren’t disciplined at the plate with Isaiah, he can get you out. I’ve been coaching for 20 years, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Penn Hills has four players who are capable of pitching. MacFarland said he is someone who can offer a change of pace and can throw off some hitters.

“I don’t throw hard,” MacFarland said. “It’s a good thing because we have people who can throw hard. When we have guys throwing 78, 79, 80 and then they have to face me who is throwing 60-61, it messes up their game because they don’t know how to adjust to it. It works out in the long run.”

MacFarland said the win over Carrick felt like a nice reward for a team that has changed drastically over the past year and a half.

“We’re a more mature team overall,” MacFarland said. “I feel like with Coach Cap, he’s made us more mature guys and better men, even off the field. We’ve been volunteering at churches and passing out food to people.”