MVNU, which returns 19 players from last season’s roster including seven position starters from a squad that finished the year 35-21 overall and tied for third at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament, will look to continue the team’s success under Coach Keith Veale, who has guided the Cougars to the NAIA playoffs in 19 of his 20 seasons and has posted a 676-331 record during that span.

Good pitching has long been a trademark of the MVNU baseball program and the Cougars will send a number of talented players to the mound this spring. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Barr returns after a successful rookie season that saw him post a 4-1 record with a 3.98 ERA and three saves. Freshman lefty Luis Baθz comes to MVNU from Puerto Rico, while junior right-hander Caleb Wright logged another solid season with a 5-4 record and a 5.80 ERA last year. Senior right-hander Grant Martin joins the program after transferring and sitting out a season due to injury, and sophomore right-hander Jerrob Decker is back after going 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA last season. Freshman lefty Justin Brown should also be in the running for a starting spot after red-shirting a year ago.

"This has the potential to be a very deep pitching staff,” said Veale. "There is not much separating the upper portion of our staff. It may take a little time to establish some things, but we fully anticipate being able to get hitters out. We have a number of guys vying for the top four spots we will use during conference play.”

"Kyle finished strong last year and has continue to progress nicely in the off-season,” continued Veale. "He probably has our best velocity on the mound and his breaking pitch is sharp. The other thing you get with him on the mound is a pitcher with great defensive ability. He truly is a fifth infielder. Luis will most likely be in the top four of our rotation when conference play rolls around. He is a true pitcher who has the ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes. He has a real good idea of what he wants to do on the mound, and we think he will settle into a starting slot early in the spring.”

"Caleb is someone we have relied on for the past couple of years as one of our conference starters,” said Veale. "He has a full arsenal of pitches and competes well on the mound for us. He can really keep opposing hitters off-balance when he is on his game. Grant is a long-awaited addition. He looks fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and has been throwing well. We like his competitiveness and intellect on the mound. He will compete at every opportunity when given the chance. We are just not sure if that will be as a starter or perhaps closing things down out of the bullpen.

"Jerrob is another live arm,” Veale added. "He had some good outings last spring and can be dominant at times. With additional work in the preseason, we are confident that he has progressed and can be a significant contributor for us. Justin has shown as much improvement from one year to the next as any pitcher I can recall. He has improved his command and added velocity since entering the program last year. He can be used as a spot starter or a reliable piece out of the bullpen.”

Junior right-hander Steve Miller (4-2, 4.19 ERA), sophomore right-hander Jeff Estep (2-1, 5.55 ERA) red-shirt freshman right-hander Darren Athey, sophomore right-hander Jared Farmer, and freshmen righties Kevin Decker and Tim Harvey will round out the bullpen for the Cougars.

"Steve is someone who has thrown some critical innings for us over the past two seasons,” said Veale. "He is someone we can go to in order to hold leads or give us the opportunity to get back into a game. Jeff threw a number of big innings for us as a freshman. He continues to work hard after surgery and we like his aggressiveness on the mound and ability to throw strikes. Darren is improving rapidly. He has been relentless in his effort to get innings this spring. His command has improved significantly and his variety of pitches that he has learned to command will allow him to compete for innings this spring. With Jared, we are working to get his velocity back up which sets up his best pitch, his changeup, and we are working to continue to develop Kevin and Tim as the season unfolds.”

"I feel like our pitching staff will be a strength come playoff time,” Veale summarized. "It may take us a while to get there, but I think the ability is there to go deep into our staff without much of a drop-off.”

Handling the pitching staff will be a solid group of catchers behind the plate. Senior Travis McInerney (.342, 19 RBI) will move back behind the plate after playing primarily at first base last year. Junior Ian Durbin (.323, 15 RBI) is also back after making 34 starts behind the plate before a hand injury ended his season prematurely. Junior Ricardo Rodriguez (.352, 18 RBI) and freshman Greg Travis give the Cougars quality depth at the position.

"This is a solid core of receivers,” said Veale. "We’re moving Travis back behind the plate. It’s nice to have a senior leader there who will be a significant contributor on offense and defense. He has a consistent presence behind the plate, allowing our pitchers to throw any pitch any time. Ian has a strong arm and the ability to control the running game. Ricardo provides an option that allows us to get a left-handed bat in the lineup. He is an intelligent signal caller and solid in the dirt. Greg has a strong arm behind the plate and will provide security and depth at the position. Having four catchers the caliber of these guys is a great situation for us.”

At first base, sophomore Josh Roberts is penciled into the starting spot after batting .512 in 26 games last year including reaching base in his first 16 plate appearances including getting a hit in 12 consecutive at bats at one point. McInerney, senior Matt Parks, and freshman Randon McNeil will provide depth at the position.

"Josh is coming off an outstanding freshman season,” said Veale. "He got significant at bats last spring and showed he belongs. We plan on him hitting in the middle of our lineup and believe he will be a big RBI producer and one of our power guys. The added blessing is that he has emerged as our best defensive option as well. If Josh is not in the lineup, then we can put Travis back there or Matt, who played there as a sophomore. Their experience and offensive strengths would provide solid options without missing a beat. Randon has swung the bat well in the fall and preseason and will provide more depth.”

Junior Alan Varney will look to get the starting nod at second base after batting .500 in limited plate appearances last year while being used primarily as a courtesy runner. Estep (.324) will also see time at second, while junior Michael Hendren or senior Kodi Veale could play there as well.

"Alan has continued to show improvement the last two years in the program,” said Veale. "He provides some quickness at the position and we feel is ready to compete for the spot on a daily basis. We feel he can be a contributor with the bat as well as he is a consistent contact hitter with surprising gap power. Jeff has worked tremendously hard to come back from ACL surgery in August. He is not 100 percent at this point, but he is close. As he rounds into form, he will be right there competing for starting time in the field.”

Hendren, who started in 55 games and played in all 56 games last year, will move from second base to shortstop after batting .289 with 22 RBI and 49 runs scored. Parks and freshman Jordan Doherty could also see time there.

"Michael has enough athleticism to play on the left side of the infield and he has a lot of experience with the position throughout his career,” said Veale. "In addition to his defensive abilities, he is probably our best option in the leadoff position. He is a table setter at the top of the order by being a patient hitter and an intelligent base runner. Matt is definitely an option and we like his leadership in the middle of the infield. He is a communicator and has good baseball instincts. We have seen a lot of improvement in Jordan over the course of our indoor workouts. He has the most athleticism of the three including an outstanding arm from the shortstop position. With further development, he could push for more and more game time.”

Parks will return as the starter at third base after making 55 starts last year and batting .301 with 30 RBI and 42 runs scored. Hendren could also play there if needed as well as Estep.

"Matt settled in last year as our every day third baseman,” said Veale. "He is a consistent defender and will likely hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup. He is a good leader and encourager from the hot corner for our pitchers. He has worked hard at his offensive approach and we feel he is primed for an even more consistent year as we look for him to finish his career on a high note with his best season yet. Michael and Jeff could either one fill in at the position without any problem.”

MVNU returns all three starters in the outfield led by Veale (.347 with 42 RBI and 51 runs scored) in centerfield and flanked by junior Steve Williams (.342 with 41 RBI and 39 runs scored) in leftfield and sophomore Chaz Gibson in rightfield (.364 with 36 RBI, 33 runs scored, and 9 home runs). Sophomore Christian Gomez, freshmen Brian Brockly and Mike McNutt, and Estep will add depth at the position.

"Kodi has emerged as the quarterback of our outfield,” said Veale. "He is a great communicator with an outstanding baseball IQ. He gets great jumps off the bat defensively and possesses a strong, accurate arm. Offensively, he can hurt teams in a lot of ways. He runs well and can steal a base, can bunt runners over, and can drive the ball consistently to score runs.”

"Chaz became our best power threat a year ago,” continued Veale. "We are moving him up in the order to allow him to be more involved in the offense. He will be near the top of our lineup in slugging percentage at the end of the year. His running ability and arm strength allow him to be a very solid outfielder as well.”

"Steve is now a three-year starter for us,” added Veale. "He is one of our most consistent players. He has settled into leftfield on defense and provides us with solid defensive skills at the position. Offensively, he is a nice threat from the left side of the plate. He has gap power and can be a doubles machine when he gets on a roll offensively.”

"Christian continues to show signs of improvement,” said Veale. "He has good speed and strength and can fill in where needed. Brian brings a nice short swing from the left side and will develop into a nice collegiate outfielder before he is done. Mike is a nice compliment from the right side and has shown some nice improvement in a short amount of time this winter. All three can play any of our outfield positions, which is nice luxury to have.”

"Offensively, we have the majority of our lineup back and I think we will be as good or better than we were a year ago,” said Veale. "We have strong leadership from our senior captains as well. These guys really want to lead and see the team do well.”

After playing four games in Mason to open the season, the Cougars will embark on their annual spring trip as they return to Ormond Beach, Fla., for 15 games in 12 days. Then, the team will return north for non-conference games against Kenyon College, Urbana University, and Ohio Dominican University. Other non-conference contests on the schedule include Wilmington College, Muskingum College, Ashland University, and Denison University.

MVNU will also compete for the American Mideast Conference title with a four-game series each against NAIA No. 22 Malone University, Cedarville University, Shawnee State University, Walsh University, Point Park (Pa.) University, and Notre Dame College. The top three teams will advance to the AMC Tournament with the winner of that tournament earning a berth in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.

"I like our schedule,” said Veale. "We have plenty of challenges ahead, but we want to challenge this team to see if we can raise our level of play. We open the first weekend with Spring Arbor, who is receiving votes in the national poll. We are also headed back to Ormond Beach on our spring trip in an attempt to challenge us early in our schedule.”

"Conference play is going to be crucial with only the top three teams getting into the playoffs this season,” Veale added. "We always set our sights on qualifying for the postseason. I know this team would love to do more than just get there, and I don’t think that is unrealistic at all. If we can get solidified in the infield and on the mound early in the season, I think we will be a handful come conference play and into the postseason.”