The season got off to a great start for MVNU as the Cougars won 13 of their first 15 games including a 7-1 start in American Mideast Conference play to open the season. Then, the team headed to Florida on the annual spring trip and won six of its first seven games including splitting a doubleheader with Spring Arbor (Mich.) University, the No. 4 team in the NAIA at the time.

After closing the trip by going 4-4 to improve to 17-6 overall with three of the losses coming to Florida schools, MVNU returned north to jump right back into the thick of conference play. The Cougars won five of their first seven games to stand at 22-8 and 12-3 in the AMC.

Then, injuries started to take there toll on the team as MVNU won just one of its next seven games to move to 23-14 overall and 13-9 in conference play. However, the Cougars then rattled off six straight wins and eight of their next nine games to improve to 31-15 overall and 20-10 in conference play to secure a spot in the AMC Tournament despite dropping the final two games of the regular season.

For the first time in a decade, MVNU’s stay in the NAIA postseason did not include a trip to the championship game as the Cougars dropped their first two games in the AMC Tournament after making nine straight appearances in the championship game.

However, the team bounced back to sweep Nyack (N.Y.) College 10-2 and 12-5 in the NCCAA East Region Tournament to earn a berth in the NCCAA National Tournament in Mason, Ohio.

MVNU won its first NCCAA National Tournament game 5-0 over Cedarville University on the strength of a two-hit shutout by senior right-hander Jason Decker - the first of his career. Then, freshman righty Kyle Barr tossed a two-hit shutout at Spring Arbor as junior Kodi Veale and freshman Chaz Gibson each hit a pair of solo home runs to account for all the offense in the 4-0 victory.

The Cougars saw their season come to an end, though, as the team fell to eventual national champion Bluefield (Va.) College and runner-up Malone University, but another successful campaign had made it into the MVNU baseball annals.

"Overall, we feel like it was a successful season,” said MVNU coach Keith Veale, who improved to 676-331 in 20 seasons leading the Cougars. "We won 35 games and qualified for the AMC Tournament as well as the NCCAA National Tournament. It is always fulfilling to be able to play for something at the end of the year.”

"We were bit a little by injuries down the stretch, but we kept competing and I think we gained valuable experience for the future,” Veale added. "We had good offensive balance down through the entire lineup. At times, we struggled to put that all together consistently. Next year looks bright with the majority of our positional players returning, and we are excited to see some of our young arms develop.”

Individually, MVNU had many players who posted outstanding seasons. Senior Josh Estep batted .358 with a team-leading 69 hits and 50 RBI and he also posted a 5-2 record on the mound with a 3.14 ERA before a shoulder injury relegated him to designated hitter duties for most of the second half of the season. He finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in games played (214) and at bats (721) and ranked second in hits (271), third in assists (474), fourth in RBI (186), seventh in doubles (45), eighth in runs scored (171), ninth in batting average (.376), and tenth in home runs (21). He also went 11-3 on the mound with three saves and 95 strikeouts in 108.2 innings.

Senior right-hander Jason Decker finished the year with a 7-6 record on the mound and a 4.35 ERA. He led the team in starts (13), complete games (8), innings pitched (80.2), and strikeouts (61). He finished his career with a 21-14 all-time record to tie for twelfth place on the school’s all-time wins list. He also registered a 4.48 ERA with 19 complete games and 133 strikeouts and only 35 walks in 207 innings of work.

Senior lefty Brandon Turner also closed out his career with a 5-2 record on the mound and a 5.31 ERA in nine appearances before injuries prematurely ended his season. He finished his career with a 15-4 record on the mound with a 5.11 ERA and four career shutouts.

Junior centerfielder Kodi Veale posted a .347 batting average while starting in all 56 games. He registered 13 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 42 RBI, and 51 runs while also stealing 11 bases. Junior catcher/first baseman Travis McInerney added a .342 batting average with 19 RBI and 18 runs scored in 39 games, while junior infielder Matt Parks batted .301 with 13 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 30 RBI, and 42 runs scored.

Sophomore outfielder Steve Williams batted .342 with 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 39 runs scored, and 41 RBI while starting all 56 games. Sophomore catcher Ricardo Rodriguez added a .352 batting average with seven doubles and 18 RBI, while sophomore catcher Ian Durbin hit .323 with five doubles and 15 RBI before a broken hand ended his year. Sophomore infielder Michael Hendren also posted a .289 batting average with 22 RBI, 49 runs scored, and a team-best 12 stolen bases, and sophomore infielder Alan Varney hit .500 in limited action and scored 39 runs as a courtesy runner.

On the mound, sophomore right-handers Steve Miller and Caleb Wright were key contributors as Miller went 4-2 with a 4.19 ERA and 21 strikeouts and Wright was 5-4 with a 5.80 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Sophomore lefty Andy Podolak also went 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in 14 appearances.

Freshman shortstop Clint Yoder posted a .396 batting average with 15 doubles, 30 runs scored, and 42 RBI as he burst on to the scene in his first college season. Freshman outfielder Chaz Gibson batted .364 with 11 doubles, a team-leading nine home runs, 33 runs scored, and 36 RBI, while freshman first baseman Josh Roberts (.512), freshman outfielder Christian Gomes (.500), and freshman infielder Jeff Estep (.324) each contributed.

Meanwhile, on the mound, several freshmen pitchers made an impact. Right-handers Jerrob Decker (3-2, 2.83 ERA), Kyle Barr (4-1, 3.98 ERA), Jeff Estep (2-1, 5.55 ERA), and Jared Farmer all saw action for the Cougars.

While MVNU will have to replace three seniors who were major contributors during their careers, the Cougars will return an experienced lineup to the diamond when the 2010 season rolls around.