The Cougars, who return 20 players from last year's roster including seven position starters and the top four starting pitchers, are coming off a 33-23 season in which MVNU rallied to win the American Mideast Conference Tournament to advance to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

The Cougars' pitching rotation will be led by senior right-handers Grant Martin and Caleb Wright and junior right-handers Kyle Barr and Jerrob Decker. Martin posted a 2-4 record with a 4.28 ERA, while Wright was 5-3 with a 4.78 ERA. Barr went 7-6 with a 5.24 ERA and led the team in innings pitched (77.1), strikeouts (78), and complete games (5), and Jerrob Decker was 5-0 with a 6.21 ERA.

"The top four starters are experienced and talented,” said MVNU coach Keith Veale, who enters his 22nd year leading the Cougars to a combined 709-354 record (.667 winning percentage) and a berth in the NAIA playoffs in 20 of his 21 seasons. "They will give us an opportunity to win. They will be crucial come conference time. They each exhibit a variety of approaches, but they all have been solid and have lots of game experience.”

Senior right-hander Steve Miller (2-1, 8.27 ERA), sophomore lefty Justin Brown (2-1, 4.39 ERA), junior right-hander Jeff Estep (1-2, 9.41 ERA), sophomore lefty Tim Harvey (0-1, 3.09 ERA), sophomore right-hander Kevin Decker (0-0, 4.50 ERA), and freshmen right-handers Seth Eller and Michael Kochheiser will compete for the rest of MVNU's starts and work in middle relief out of the bullpen.

"The middle relief guys will be the bridge to get the ball to our closer in close games,” said Veale. "There is enough ability to handle that responsibility. We need consistent performances in those middle innings if we want to be an exceptional pitching staff.”

Sophomore right-hander Darren Athey returns in the closer role after having a breakout season in 2010 with a school-record 10 saves. He appeared in 21 games and posted a 4-1 record with a 4.30 ERA.

"Darren had a very good season last year,” said Veale. "He stepped into the closer role and flourished. He comes in and throws strikes with more than one pitch. He has a great mentality and a short memory – both of which are ideal in this role.”

Seniors Ian Durbin and Ricardo Rodriguez along with red-shirt freshman Greg Travis will handle the catching duties for the Cougars this year. Durbin posted a .313 batting average with 30 RBI in 48 games last year, while Rodriguez batted .214 with six RBI in 26 games.

"Ian is at or near the top of the receivers in our conference,” said Veale. "He handles pitchers well and controls the running game from behind the plate. He settled in and had a very good finish last year offensively as well and can hit in the middle of the lineup and be a run-producer for our team.”

"Ricardo and Greg continue to provide depth at the positions,” Veale added. "Ricardo provides a nice left-handed hitting option at the position. He takes a lot of pride in his at at bats and can be a big help when swinging well. Greg has shown a lot of improvement behind the plate. He is a hard worker and will see playing time early this spring.”

Junior first baseman Josh Roberts returns at first base where he started all 56 games a year ago and compiled a .366 batting average with six home runs, 46 RBI, and 49 runs scored. He also registered 400 putouts and committed just seven errors in 426 chances. Eller will serve as his back-up.

"Josh is as good as we have in our conference at first base,” said Veale. "He will hit in the middle of our order and is a great RBI guy with a good understanding of what we need done in scoring situations. He is sometimes overlooked as a defender, but not by his teammates. Seth is developing well and is an advanced hitter for a first-year player. We will also use him as a right-handed designated hitter and on the mound.”

Senior Michael Hendren will move from shortstop to second base this year. Hendren batted .270 with 24 RBI and 39 runs scored and committed just 13 errors in 234 chances at short. Estep (.241, 13 RBI) and freshman Sterling Harpst will provide depth at the position.

"Michael had a very good year defensively at shortstop last year,” said Veale. "We are moving him to second base this spring. He is a steady defender and makes life challenging for opposing pitchers at the plate. He is a contact hitter with good base-running instincts. Jeff is an aggressive player and has enough versatility to play second or third. He will help us on the mound and on the infield. Sterling has come in and shown exceptional ability on defense. He has very good defensive abilities and we will be very confident if he makes his way into the lineup with continued offensive improvement.”

Sophomore Jordan Doherty will get the starting nod at shortstop after posting a .339 batting average with 33 RBI and 37 runs scored in 53 games as a freshman that included 48 starts at second base. He also had a team-high 12 stolen bases. Hendren will serve as his back-up.

"Jordan had a great finish to his freshman season,” said Veale of Doherty's .441 batting average, 12 RBI, and three home runs in the team's seven postseason games. "He was a real catalyst during tournament play last May and continued to shine throughout the fall. We have moved him to shortstop to take advantage of his arm strength and range. His athletic ability allows him to make plays that will turn heads. Offensively, he really developed last year. He has the strength to drive the ball in the gaps and is able to put pressure on the defense when on the bases.”

At third base, senior Alan Varney is primed to step into a starting role. Varney batted .256 in 28 games with 11 starts as he drove in 10 runs. Freshman Jeff Stone will also compete for time at the hot corner.

"Alan has been in a back-up role the past couple of years,” said Veale. "He has shown improved consistency on defense and has earned the opportunity to start the season at third base. He has a good understanding of the game, and we believe he can be a solid contributor on offense. He also has the versatility to move to second base if the opportunity presents itself. Jeff has very good baseball skills. He has the arm strength to play on the left side of the infield. We are trying to develop some versatility with him to open up even more opportunities to get on the field. He is a strong left-handed hitter who attacks the baseball at the plate. He will continue to press starters on the infield for playing time.”

The Cougars return a strong group of experience outfielders with seniors Steve Williams and Kodi Veale along with junior Chaz Gibson and Brian Brockly giving MVNU four great options for three spots. Freshman Sean Fleming and Jake Dickerson will also compete for playing time. Williams batted .361 with six home runs, 44 RBI, and 49 runs scored last year, while Veale hit .333 before being sidelined by an injury after three games. Gibson (.337 with eight homers, 43 RBI, and 48 runs scored) and Brockly (.343 with six triples, 24 RBI, and 51 runs scored) are both coming off solid seasons.

"This is a very talented group of outfielders,” said Veale. "We have four guys who have received some all-conference honors during their careers. Kodi is a key returner for us. Staying healthy will be critical to team success both offensively and defensively. He was an All-AMC First Team performer his junior year. He quarterbacks our outfield and has game-changing abilities on offense. Steve returns after being honored as an All-AMC First Team outfielder in 2010. He is a steady defensive outfielder with very consistent offensive skills.”

"Chaz will hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup and has been a very good offensive performer for two years,” Veale continued. "He has home run ability and has become a much more complete player in his two years here. Brian took advantage of his opportunity to get on the field last spring as a freshman. He was a very secure outfielder and provided a much-needed leadoff hitter on offense. He is another left-handed hitter who is an offensive catalyst at the top of the lineup. The strong probability will be to use one of the outfielders in the designated hitter slot when they are not playing on defense. Sean is a great addition to the outfield group. He has the ability to play all three spots and runs very well, and he will be used as a designated runner with the ability to affect the game in that role. Jake is a right-handed hitter who runs well enough to compete in the outfield. He has lots of pop in his bat, and we are exploring the possibilities of getting him on the mound.”

The Cougars' schedule should once again prove to be challenging. They open the year at defending AMC regular-season champion Shawnee State University before playing doubleheaders against Huntington (Ind.) University, the University of Northwestern Ohio, and Saint Xavier (Ill.) University before heading on the team's annual spring trip to Florida. On the trip, MVNU will play NCAA Division III No. 8 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and NCAA Division III No. 13 St. Thomas (Minn.) University along with Mount Marty (S.D.) College, Warner (Fla.) University, and Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) University, who each received votes in their respective preseason polls. Spring Arbor (Mich.) University, Doane (Neb.) College, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University, and Southeastern (Fla.) University round out the opposition for the trip.

"We will have some very exciting challenges on our schedule this spring,” said Veale. "We open with the defending conference champions at their place. They will have a lot of games already under their belt and it will be tough assignment. We will also be challenged by our other games before heading south with Saint Xavier consistently being a nationally-ranked team out of the strong Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Our spring trip will feature several strong ranked teams as well as three games against Florida schools who will be well into their seasons when we see them. We often talk about being good and not just looking good. You have to challenge yourself if you want to be good.”

Upon returning north, MVNU will face the University of Saint Francis (Ind.), Ashland University, Muskingum College, and Wilmington College in non-conference games. The Cougars will also look to compete for the AMC title in their final year in the conference. They will have home and away doubleheaders against Malone University, Walsh University, Cedarville University, Notre Dame College, and Point Park (Pa.) University to determine the regular-season champion and the three teams to make the AMC Tournament with a berth in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on the line.

"Every great competitor is not afraid of being challenged,” said Veale. "If we survive the early-season schedule, we will be well-prepared for conference play. Even though the conference is smaller than in years past, I really believe it will be very competitive. The lower finishing teams from a year ago are quickly improving and the upper level teams from a year ago have plenty of returning talent to win a championship. It should be a fun year.”

The Cougars will play their first home games of the season on Tuesday when MVNU will host Huntington at 1 p.m. This will mark the first action at Cougar Field since the new ProGrass Synthetic Turf was installed on the infield this past fall.