“It was an interesting year for the team,” said MVNU head coach Keith Veale, who improved to 602-289 (.676 winning percentage) in 18 seasons at the helm of the Cougars. “If someone would have asked me before the year started if I would take 38-16 for our final record, I think I would have said yes. Getting a piece of the American Mideast Conference South Division title was and always is a significant accomplishment for our program and one the players can be proud to be a part of. Playing in the regional championship game is always a special opportunity, and the track record for this program doing so is phenomenal.”

MVNU got the season under way by going 3-1 at Shawnee State University as the Cougars began the year with a four-game AMC South Division series. Then, the team took its annual spring trip - this time to Ormond Beach, Florida, after going to Fort Myers, Florida the previous 10 years - where MVNU played 14 games in the span of 10 days with nine of them being 9-inning games. The Cougars went 8-6 on the demanding trip that included a pair of games at Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University, which was ranked 22nd in the NAIA at the time.

Upon returning home, MVNU jumped right into the thick of its AMC South Division schedule with a few non-conference games thrown in for good measure. The Cougars went 16-3 over the team’s next 19 games which included a four-game split with AMC South Division co-champion Ohio Dominican University, who was ranked 17th in the NAIA at that time.

After dropping a game to Urbana University and a non-conference game at Walsh University, MVNU rattled off seven straight wins to close the regular season with a 34-12 record. The Cougars also finished with a 19-5 AMC South Division mark and ended up sharing the conference title with Ohio Dominican when the Panthers drop two of their final four conference games to Tiffin University.

By claiming a share of the AMC South Division title and winning the conference tiebreaker over Ohio Dominican, MVNU earned the right to host the NAIA Region IX Tournament. After dropping a tough 3-1 decision to Walsh in the opening game of the tournament, the Cougars posted wins over the University of Rio Grande, Geneva (Pa.) College, and Ohio Dominican to advance back to the championship game of the tournament for the eighth straight year. However, Walsh completed its improbable run through the tournament with a 10-8 victory to advance to the NAIA East Coast Super Regional and eventually on to the NAIA World Series where they won one game.

MVNU’s season was not over at that point, though, as the Cougars traveled to Struthers, Ohio, to take part in the 10-team National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament. Although the team went 1-2 in its three games there, the field was one of the strongest in the tournament’s history.

“Offensively, this team was very good,” said Veale. “Hitting .351 as a team is tremendous. We had the ability to put nine batters in our lineup 1-9 all hitting over .300. We did that with some pop also when you look at the 45 home runs and the .512 team slugging percentage. Those are pretty good offensive numbers.”

“On the mound, we probably met or exceeded our expectations for the year,” Veale added. “Our top four starters were the best in the league with a 28-10 record that included a 19-4 conference mark. Their ability to provide quality starts in conference play was foundational to our success and conference title.”

Individually, six seniors wrapped up their careers in 2007. Right-handed pitcher Mike Laughlin posted a 6-2 record with a 2.73 ERA as he struck out a team-high 66 batters in 66 innings of work. Laughlin finished his four-year career ranked fourth in school history in strikeouts (253), fourth in shutouts (6), seventh in innings pitched (239.1), and seventh in victories (24).

Right-hander Ryan Decker also put together his best season on the mound as he went 7-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He was second on the team in complete games (7) and innings pitched (73.1) and he struck out 49 batters. He also tossed a no-hitter against Cedarville University on April 17. He finished his four-year career with a 13-10 overall record with 121 strikeouts in 175.1 innings of work.

Zack Helm, an infielder/designated hitter, batted .395 with 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 48 RBI, and 49 runs scored as he played in 49 games. For his four-year career, Helm finished with a .334 batting average to go along with 25 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 101 RBI, and 113 runs scored in 149 career games.

Ari Yoder, a first baseman/catcher, posted a .312 batting average in his final season to go along with five doubles, three triples, two home runs, 27 runs scored, and 33 RBI as he played in all 54 games. He was also hit by pitches a school-record 20 times during the year to up his school-record career total to 37. In 156 career games during his four years, he batted .322 with 15 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 78 runs scored, and 90 RBI. He also ranks fourth in school history with 815 career putouts.

Catcher Ray McFerren returned from an injury-shortened year in 2006 to play in 36 games for the Cougars in 2007. He batted .200 with one home run, four runs scored, and 15 RBI. In 95 career games during his four-year career, he posted a .257 batting average with five doubles, two home runs, 11 runs scored, and 37 RBI.

Eddie Smith, an outfielder who transferred to MVNU from Columbus State Community College for his final two seasons, posted a .350 batting average in 2007 with nine doubles, one triple, five home runs, 40 runs scored, and 49 RBI in 53 games. In just two seasons with the Cougars, he batted .351 in 102 games with 19 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 78 runs scored, and 99 RBI.

Ross Yoder, a junior infielder, posted a .406 batting average in his first season on the team after transferring from the College of Wooster. He led the team with five triples, 80 hits, and 63 runs scored, and he also registered 13 doubles, 10 home runs, 48 RBI, and eight stolen bases in 52 games.

Richey Burgos, a junior infielder, batted .372 and led the team with 11 home runs and 32 walks. He also compiled 14 doubles, two triples, 46 RBI, and 50 runs scored as he played in 53 games. For his career, he now ranks third in school history in walks (98), sixth in home runs (22), eight in doubles (38), ninth in RBI (138), and tenth in runs scored (133).

Levi Curry, a junior left-handed pitcher, posted a 7-4 record with a 2.32 ERA in his first season at MVNU after transferring from the University of Toledo. He led the team in innings pitched (77.2), complete games (8), and pick-offs (5), and he also registered 60 strikeouts and two shutouts as he made 12 starts.

Brandon Turner, a junior left-handed pitcher/outfielder, posted an 8-1 record on the mound with a 2.56 ERA and a team-high four shutouts. In 59.2 innings of work, he struck out 36 batters. He also tossed a no-hitter against Shawnee State on March 10. At the plate, he posted a .292 batting average with eight doubles, one home run, 18 runs scored, and 22 RBI.

Jason Barber, a junior right-handed pitcher, posted a 1-1 record on the mound with a 1.65 ERA and a team-leading four saves. In 27.1 innings of work spanning 15 appearances, he struck out 16 batters as opponents hit just .204 against him.

Marc Hadley, a junior right-handed pitcher/outfielder, posted a 2-1 record on the mound with a 3.33 ERA and two saves in 15 appearances. In 24.1 innings of work, he struck out 17 batters. He also batted .314 with three doubles, five RBI, and eight runs scored.

Dave Yost, a junior right-handed pitcher, posted a 5-2 record on the mound with a 6.83 ERA in seven appearances. In 29 innings of work, he struck out 19 batters. Meanwhile, he also scored seven runs as a pinch runner.

Garret Shivley, a junior outfielder, batted .340 in 37 games as he recorded three doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBI, eight stolen bases, and 27 runs scored.

Sophomore infielder Josh Estep had a breakout season as he batted .414 and led the team with 60 RBI. He registered 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 50 runs scored, and 25 walks. After just two seasons, he also moved into tenth place in school history with 254 career assists.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jason Decker posted a 2-1 record on the mound with a 7.77 ERA in eight appearances that included three starts. In 22 innings of work, he struck out 12 batters.

Kodi Veale, a freshman outfielder, started all 54 games and batted .326 in his first collegiate season. He tallied 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 28 RBI, and 46 runs scored. He tied for the team lead with eight stolen bases, and he led the team with nine outfield assists.

Matt Parks, a freshman infielder/outfielder, played in 47 games and batted .310. He compiled three doubles, one triple, three home runs, 20 RBI, and 31 runs scored while committing just three errors in 151 fielding chances.

Travis McInerney, a freshman catcher, saw action in 10 games and batted .545 (6-for-11) with four RBI and two runs scored. Michael King, a freshman right-handed pitcher, also made four appearances on the mound and posted a 7.88 ERA with five strikeouts in eight innings of work.

“We had numerous postseason honors with 14 different players getting some type of recognition,” said Veale. “That is impressive and shows the amount of respect that other coaches have for our program and is a tribute to the efforts we put forth on the field and in the classroom. We were few in numbers compared to other years, but we were still a very strong and productive unit.”