The season got under way with the team’s annual spring trip to Florida as MVNU posted an 8-7 record in Ormond Beach against what would prove to be very good competition. Of the eight different teams that the Cougars played, seven of them were ranked in their respective regions’ Top Six during the season and two of them - Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University and Missouri Baptist University - were ranked in the final NAIA national poll.

Upon returning back north, MVNU won eight of its next 10 games to improve to 16-9 and get off to an 8-2 start in American Mideast Conference play. One of the highlights during this stretch was a perfect game thrown by senior left-hander Levi Curry against Cedarville University on March 26. It was only the second perfect game in school history and the 16th no-hitter.

The Cougars dropped their next four games by a total of five runs with two losses at Notre Dame College and a pair of home losses to No. 21 Ohio Dominican University. However, the team bounced back with seven straight wins including a crucial four-game sweep of defending region champion Walsh University to improve to 23-13 overall and 12-6 in the AMC.

Following a pair of losses at No. 22 Malone College, MVNU closed out the regular season by winning seven of its final eight games to stand at 30-16 overall as the Cougars reached the 30-win mark for the 13th time in the past 18 years. The team also earned the No. 3 seed in the four-team NAIA Region IX Tournament by finishing with a 17-9 mark in the AMC. Two highlights during the final eight games was a doubleheader sweep of Malone at Cougar Field and an 8-2 victory at NCAA Division I Cleveland State University as freshman lefty Josh Mann tossed a complete game three-hitter.

In the NAIA Region IX Tournament, MVNU dropped a hard-fought 14-13 decision to No. 2 seed Ohio Dominican in 10 innings in the first game. Then, the Cougars battled back through the loser’s bracket with wins over Malone, Urbana, and Ohio Dominican to reach the region championship game for the ninth straight year. However, MVNU fell to Ohio Dominican 5-1 to come up one win short of reaching the NAIA Super Regionals.

The team then turned its focus to the NCCAA East Region Tournament. In the first game, Curry tossed a two-hit shutout over Nyack (N.Y.) College for the 1,000th win in the program’s illustrious history. After a 4-3 loss to Malone, the Cougars forced a second championship game with a 9-3 win over the Pioneers. MVNU once again came up just short, though, as Malone claimed the NCCAA East Region title with a 7-2 victory.

All was not lost for the Cougars, however, as they did receive an at-large berth into the 10-team NCCAA National Tournament in Struthers, Ohio. MVNU, the No. 2 seed, rattled off wins over Geneva (Pa.) College, Chowan (N.C.) University, and Malone to stand as the only undefeated team left in the tournament. After a 7-3 loss to Indiana Wesleyan University, the Cougars bounced back with an 8-3 victory over the Wildcats in the championship game to claim their unprecedented sixth NCCAA national title.

"I was really proud of the way that our team competed at the NCCAA National Tournament,” said MVNU head coach Keith Veale, who is now 641-310 in 19 years leading the Cougars. "We talked all year about working towards playing consistent baseball, and I feel like we were playing our best baseball at the end of the season. As a coach, that is really all you can ask for out of your players. Not many teams get a chance to win their final game of the year let alone a national championship. This is a great way for our seniors to finish out their careers.”

Individually, MVNU was led by several players who had record-setting seasons. Senior third baseman Richey Burgos led the Cougars by hitting .448 with 17 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 52 runs scored, 68 RBI, and a school-record 39 walks. He also became the program’s career leader in hits (281), at bats (701), games played (209), and walks (137), while finishing second in batting average (.401), home runs (35), and RBI (206). On June 17, he signed a professional contract with the Chillicothe Paints of the independent Frontier League to become the 20th player in program history to play professional baseball.

Senior shortstop Ross Yoder closed out his career by batting .383 with 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI, 68 runs scored, and a team-high 13 stolen bases. He also recorded a school-record 232 assists as he led the NAIA in assists per game and helped MVNU turn a school-record 72 double plays. In two seasons with the Cougars, Yoder posted a .394 batting average with 19 home runs, 86 RBI, and 131 runs scored.

Senior lefty Levi Curry also wrapped up his career at MVNU by posting a 10-3 record on the mound with a 3.98 ERA and three shutouts. In 92.2 innings of work, he struck out 64 batters while also tossing 10 complete games in 15 starts. In just two seasons with the Cougars, Curry posted a 17-7 record with a 3.22 ERA, five shutouts, and 124 strikeouts in 170.1 innings.

Senior outfielder/designated hitter Marc Hadley wrapped up his four-year career by hitting .326 with nine doubles, six home runs, 41 runs scored, and 46 RBI in his final season. Senior outfielder Garret Shivley posted a .287 batting average with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 32 RBI, and 52 runs scored to cap his four-year career. Meanwhile, senior right-handed pitchers Dave Yost (3-0, 4.67 ERA) and Jason Barber (1-1, 6.97 ERA) added to the depth in the bullpen as they wrapped up their four-year careers at MVNU.

Junior second baseman Josh Estep put together another outstanding season at the plate as he hit .384 with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs, 43 runs scored, and 48 RBI. The right-hander also posted a 6-1 record on the mound with three saves and a 3.62 ERA. In 54.2 innings of work, he struck out 44 batters and issued just 13 walks.

Junior right-handed pitcher Jason Decker also had a career-best 8-6 record with a fine 3.28 ERA. In 85 innings of work, he struck out 48 batters and issued just 14 walks. He also tossed 11 complete games in 14 starts - the second-highest total in school history behind Andy Heimbach’s 12 complete games in 1999 when he was the NAIA National Player of the Year.

Sophomore catcher Travis McInerney had a breakout season as he started 46 of the 49 games he played in and batted .350 with four doubles, one triple, one home run, and 26 RBI. Sophomore first baseman Matt Parks joined Burgos, Yoder, and Estep as the only four players to start all 60 games as he batted .297 with 16 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 36 RBI, and 41 runs scored. He also set a school record with 460 putouts. Meanwhile, sophomore outfielder Kodi Veale played in all 60 games with 58 starts and batted .276 with seven doubles, a team-best four triples, 31 RBI, and 45 runs scored.

Freshman outfielder Steve Williams started 51 games in his rookie campaign and batted .323 with 11 doubles, three triples, 22 runs scored, and 33 RBI. Freshman infielder Michael Hendren added a .302 batting average and scored 34 runs, while freshmen catchers Ricardo Rodriguez and Cory Bean batted .256 and .200 respectively with three RBI apiece. Junior outfielder Nick Martindale also scored 17 runs as he played in 30 games.

Freshmen pitchers Caleb Wright (5-3, 5.95 ERA) and Josh Mann (3-2, 5.18 ERA) both saw considerable action as starting pitchers in the Cougars’ rotation. Meanwhile, sophomore Michael King (0-0, 1.12 ERA, 1 save) and freshmen Andy Podolak (2-1, 2.92 ERA), Andy Carter (0-1, 3.86 ERA), and Steve Miller (1-1, 5.40 ERA) each provided solid depth in the MVNU bullpen.

While the Cougars will have to replace four position starters who each batted in the top five spots in the lineup and the team’s top pitcher, MVNU always seems to find a way to reload and will be ready to compete again when the 2009 season rolls around.