Roberts, a first baseman/pitcher from Chillicothe, Ohio, put together an outstanding all-around season as a senior at Zane Trace High School. He batted .490 with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 46 runs scored, and a school-record 54 RBI while also stealing 14 bases. On the mound, he posted a 10-0 record with a 1.93 ERA. In 69 innings of work, he struck out 49 batters and issued just 13 walks. He also tossed nine complete games in 10 starts including a victory over Adena High School, the No. 1 team in the state. Roberts was named to the Scioto Valley Conference First Team, the All-District First Team, and the All-Ohio Division III First Team as he helped Zane Trace to a 25-4 record, an SVC title, and a No. 4 ranking in the state.

“Josh is coming to us from an outstanding baseball program at Zane Trace,” said MVNU head coach Keith Veale, who has posted a 641-310 record in 19 seasons at the helm of the Cougars. “We saw him when we were recruiting (current Cougar and former Zane Trace pitching standout) Caleb Wright a year ago. He is an agile first baseman who is a big target with power potential. He has also really developed on the mound this past year and it is not beyond possibility to see if that can be an option for us as well. We really like the total package with Josh. He can help us defensively as well as offensively.”

In addition to playing baseball at Zane Trace and on several summer teams including Post 62, Roberts was a two-year member of National Honor Society and an Academic All-District selection as he graduated with a 3.89 grade point average. He has been very active in Future Farmers of America for the past four years by serving as the junior president, vice president, and senior president and receiving several awards. He has been a member of 4-H for 10 years and has served on student council. He has also worked as an apprentice auctioneer for Stanley and Sons Auctioneering for two years.

“There are several reasons why I chose MVNU,” said Roberts of his college choice. “I like the fact that it is a small, safe campus and I am looking forward to being a part of the campus activities. They also have a very good baseball program.”

MVNU is an NAIA school that competes in the American Mideast Conference. The Cougars posted a 39-21 overall record in 2008 and captured the program’s sixth National Christian College Athletic Association national title. The team also advanced to the NAIA Region IX Tournament championship game for the ninth straight year. Over the years, MVNU has had 13 players drafted by Major League teams including Tim Belcher, who was the top pick overall in the 1983 draft. Seven other former players have signed free agent contracts to play professional baseball.