The Cougars return 14 players including five starting position players from last year’s squad that posted a 27-22 record and finished just one win from advancing to the NAIA East Coast Super Regional. MVNU finished fourth in the highly competitive AMC South Division with a 13-11 mark, but then the Cougars knocked off regular-season champion Ohio Dominican University to advance to the NAIA Region IX Tournament. At the NAIA Region IX Tournament, the Cougars dropped their first game before battling all the way back to the second championship game only to fall 2-1 on a ninth-inning home run.

Now, head coach Keith Veale will look to his returning players for their experience and leadership as MVNU prepares to get the new season under way.

"This has been an interesting team to prepare,” said Veale, who is entering his 18th season leading the Cougars and has posted a 564-273 overall record with six conference titles, four National Christian College Athletic Association national titles, and the program’s only two NAIA World Series berths. "It is the smallest roster we have had in a long while. However, we are a tight-knit group with no loose parts. We do have tremendous versatility and we may have some different looks every time out. Staying healthy will be a significant factor in having a successful finish to our season. We will also need to establish consistency on the mound.”

One of the strengths of the team heading into the season appears to be the Cougars’ ability to put runs on the scoreboard with the team’s top five RBI-producers all returning to the lineup in 2007. Senior outfielder Eddie Smith highlights the group after leading the team with 50 RBI and seven home runs last year while batting .351 on his way to being named to the AMC South Division First Team and the NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Team.

Junior infielder/catcher Richey Burgos also returns after batting a team-best .398 with 46 RBI and seven home runs. He also struck out just eight times in 203 plate appearances while being named to the AMC South Division Second Team.

Junior outfielder Brandon Turner (.307 with 32 RBI) and senior infielder Zack Helm (.305 with 31 RBI) also return after a solid season at the plate in 2006. Sophomore infielder Josh Estep also made his presence felt after batting .338 with 28 RBI as he and Turner were both AMC South Division Honorable Mention picks.

"We have a chance to be an exceptional offensive team,” said Veale. "We are still uncertain about the top of our lineup as we need to establish some guys who can get on base. However, we are confident that we can find answers in the middle of our order, and we believe that one through nine in our order will be tough outs. Offensively, there is a lot of potential to score runs.”

Defensively, the Cougars will start with senior Ray McFerren behind the plate. McFerren caught eight games last year and was batting .300 when an injury required season-ending surgery. Burgos, senior Ari Yoder, and freshman Travis McInerney are also all viable options at the catching position.

Ari Yoder returns to start at first base with a year of experience at that position. He was named to the AMC South Division Second Team after batting .354 with 24 RBI while committing just 12 errors in 385 chances. Burgos, junior Jason Barber, and freshman Michael King round out the depth chart at first base.

At second base, the starting spot is still up for grabs as Helm and junior Ross Yoder both provide Veale with solid options. Ross Yoder will be making his MVNU debut after batting .348 in two seasons at the College of Wooster, while Helm is now fully recovered from shoulder surgery that relegated him primarily to the designated hitter role last year. Freshman Kodi Veale could also see action at second base.

Estep will move back to his normal position at shortstop after starting primarily at second base for most of his freshman season. Ross Yoder and freshman Matt Parks will both provide depth at the position. Meanwhile, Burgos will anchor the hot corner at third base with Ross Yoder and Parks listed as back-ups at that position as well.

In the outfield, Smith will anchor the MVNU defense in centerfield after starting all 49 games there last season. Turner will get the starting nod in leftfield to being the year, while Kodi Veale will start in rightfield after earning All-Ohio honors and setting several school records as a senior at Mount Vernon High School. Senior Garret Shivley and junior Marc Hadley will also see action in the outfield.

"I think we will be much improved defensively,” said Veale. "Ray is back behind the plate. Ari has a year of experience under his belt at first base. Josh is in his second year and is moving back to the position he is most comfortable at. Zack is fully recovered from the surgery that slowed him down, and we have added a consistent and versatile defender in Ross to the mix. Richey is sure-handed at third and has established himself as a premier player in our conference, and we have also added a couple of accomplished high school middle infielders in Matt and Kodi. We should have a lot of quality depth and flexibility in the infield defensively.”

"Eddie will quarterback the outfield in center again for us,” said Veale. "We will most likely move Brandon to leftfield and start Kodi in rightfield. We need to cover more ground in the outfield and we are confident that we can do that.”

On the mound, the Cougars return seven pitchers who saw action for them last season. Senior right-hander Mike Laughlin will anchor the staff as he looks to wrap up what has already been a very successful career at MVNU. He posted a 3-3 record with 65 strikeouts in 44.2 innings of work last year, and he has a career record of 18-7.

Junior lefty Levi Curry will join the starting rotation after posting a 5-8 record with a 4.65 ERA over the past two seasons at the University of Toledo. In 28 appearances, Curry logged 110.1 innings.

Senior right-hander Ryan Decker, juniors Hadley (RHP), Turner (LHP), Barber (RHP), and David Yost (RHP), sophomore Jason Decker (RHP), and King (RHP) will each be in the running for spot starts and will add depth to the bullpen with relief appearances. Shivley (RHP) and Parks (RHP) will also see action in relief roles. Ryan Decker posted a 2-3 record last year, while Hadley posted both of his wins last season on the same day in the NAIA Region IX Tournament. Turner and Yost have started five and four games respectively in their careers, while Barber has pitched in 17 games. Jason Decker also went 4-1 in his first collegiate season with nine relief appearances.

"Having Mike back healthy is a huge addition,” said Veale. "When healthy, Mike is a dominant arm. We are excited to have him back and throwing well. Adding Levi gives us a tremendous one-two punch at the top of our rotation. He has high level experience and is a great competitor on the mound. We are looking for the rest of the staff to be a year older and a year wiser. We may use an unconventional approach to our innings this spring, but I think we will be productive.”

The Cougars are slated to get their season under way on March 1 with a non-conference doubleheader against Ohio State University-Newark. The team will also host Huntington (Ind.) University and play a four-game conference series at Shawnee State University before heading to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the team’s annual spring trip that will feature 14 games including two at Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University, who is ranked third in the NAIA preseason poll.

Upon returning north, MVNU, which received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, will also play non-conference games against Capital University, Notre Dame College, Malone College (NAIA receiving votes), Walsh University, Wilmington College, and Ohio Wesleyan University.

The Cougars will also look to challenge for the AMC South Division title with four games each against Ohio Dominican (NAIA No. 21), Urbana University (receiving votes), the University of Rio Grande, Shawnee State University, Tiffin University, and Cedarville University. The top three regular-season finishers will advance to the NAIA Region IX Tournament.