(From left: Joel Laslo, Mike Waddell, Matt Stryker, Jason Hall, and Jeff Wine)
Five members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College baseball team will play the final regular-season home games of their careers on Tuesday when the Cougars host Tiffin University in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader that is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
Seniors Jason Hall, Joel Laslo, Matt Stryker, Mike Waddell, and Jeff Wine have led MVNC to a 133-56 overall record (.704 winning percentage) over the past four seasons. During their careers, the Cougars have won one American Mideast Conference regular-season title (in 1998) and one National Christian College Athletic Association national title (in 1999).
"When I look at these seniors as a group, I see young men who get the most out of their abilities," said MVNC head coach Keith Veale. "This is an extremely hard-working group. Their passion for the game has been an inspiration to the entire team. These young men have truly been team players and a pleasure to coach."
Hall, a second baseman from Mount Vernon, Ohio, has played in 175 games during his career and has a .341 career batting average. He ranks tenth in both career hits (185) and career at bats (542), and he is also fifth in career assists with 358. He was an AMC Honorable Mention selection in 2000.
Hall, a former standout at Mount Vernon High School, is currently batting .398 this season with 45 hits, three doubles, three triples, 24 runs batted in, and 38 runs scored. He is also 7-for-9 in stolen base opportunities.
Laslo, an outfielder/catcher from Mount Vernon, Ohio, has played in 128 games after transferring to MVNC for his sophomore season. He has posted a career batting average of .366, and he ranks tenth in school history with eight triples. He was an AMC Honorable Mention selection in 1999.
Lalso, another former star at Mount Vernon High School, is batting .396 this season with 44 hits, five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 21 RBI, and 20 runs scored.
Stryker, an outfielder from Greenwich, Ohio, has played in 32 career games with a .273 batting average. The former South Central High School product has appeared in nine games this season and has scored two runs.
Waddell, a pitcher/outfielder from Cardington, Ohio, has played in 137 career games and posted a .357 batting average. He is currently tied for seventh place in career home runs with 18 and tied for ninth place with 34 doubles. On the mound, Waddell has notched an 18-7 record with one save and a 4.52 earned run average. He also has five shutouts and 182 strikeouts. He was the AMC Pitcher of the Year and an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 2000.
This season, the former Cardington-Lincoln High School star is batting .426 with a team-high 49 hits, 16 doubles, eight home runs, and 42 RBI. He has also scored 30 runs. On the mound, Waddell is 5-1 with a 7.35 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
Wine, an outfielder from Bourbonnais, Illinois, has played in 183 games - the seventh most in school history - with a .375 batting average. He ranks seventh in career hits (175), fourth in career triples (11), fifth in career runs scored (161), and sixth in career stolen bases (41). Wine is also a two-time GTE Academic All-District Second Team selection for his combined efforts on the field and in the classroom.
Wine, a former standout at Bradley-Bourbonnais High School, is batting .398 this season with 44 hits, nine doubles, a team-high seven triples, four home runs, 32 RBI, and a team-high 42 runs scored. He also has nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
MVNC is currently 27-9 overall and 14-4 in the AMC. The Cougars have four conference games remaining this season as they attempted to win their tenth conference title.
