Spring has arrived. Spades replace snow shovels. Mittens are traded for gardening gloves. It is a new beginning, when planted seeds prove their worth by blooming into picturesque flowers. However, enthusiasm for spring is not reserved for nature lovers in southeastern Ohio. Sports fans can relish the fact that spring brings homeruns and fastballs. Baseball season is underway, and that means another chance for the Marietta Pioneers to add new hardware to their trophy case.
Rather than a new beginning, baseball players at Marietta College think of spring as a culmination. They have planted some seeds of their own, toiling twice a day, six days a week since Jan. 25 toward their goal of a national championship. At these practices and conditioning sessions during the winter months, bonds are forged and the groundwork is laid for a successful season. Only now do the players begin to see the tarp removed from the Don Schaly Stadium field, revealing freshly cut grass and newly raked dirt. Now, the 2010 Marietta Pioneers get the chance to prove their worth.
Senior Dan Jones understands that pouring sweat with his teammates during the winter was about more than getting in shape for the upcoming season.
“We’re like a family,” Dan says. “We spend so much time together that we get on each other’s nerves once in a while. When we’re not practicing, we’re usually hanging out—playing cards, video games or whatever. We take care of any issues we have off the field, so when the season rolls around, we’re here for each other.”
Dan, a catcher for the Pioneers, says the strict offseason workout regimen has been the same for his entire career at Marietta. Practice for position players lasts from noon to 4 p.m., usually in the Pioneers’ indoor facility. The players follow up with evening conditioning or weight lifting. For weight lifting, seniors often pair up with freshmen.
“It helps us take the leadership role Coach wants us to have,” Dan says. “If the freshmen understand what the tradition is all about, then we can pursue our goal of winning a national championship as a stronger team.”
A championship is the only thing that will satisfy the Pioneers. The team is ranked 19th in the country in the NCAA’s preseason Collegiate Baseball D-III poll. In his seventh year at the helm, head coach Brian Brewer is less than thrilled by the preseason recognition.
“Rankings mean nothing,” Brian says. “Our kids know that. When we recruit them, we make sure they know our goal is a national championship every single year. And we make sure the kids stay focused on that throughout the season.”
Pardon Brian if his expectations seem far-fetched. He has been exposed to Marietta’s success in more ways than one. His experience with Marietta began in 1990, when he played for the school, and was selected as a third team All-American in his final season with the Etta Express, a nickname reserved solely for the baseball program at Marietta. Brian started as an assistant coach in 2000 before taking over for Don Schaly, who was head coach for more than 40 seasons. In that time, Don managed to gain three national championships. King Kong could not fill shoes that big.
The program did not miss a beat. Brian led the Pioneers to their fourth national championship in 2006, quelling any doubts about the stability of Marietta baseball after Don’s departure.
That 2006 crown was the last time the Etta Express tasted a Division III World Series win. Needless to say, it has been too long. Marietta coaches and players feed off their winning culture. Every tradition has a beginning, and the Marietta College baseball program can trace its success back nearly five decades.
Director of Athletics Larry Hiser has only been at Marietta College for two years, yet to hear him discuss the history of what he calls the school’s “flagship program,” one would think he has held his position for 50 years. He speaks with nostalgia when describing how Don built the Marietta baseball program into the powerhouse it is today. As Larry puts it, “Don Schaly is Marietta Baseball.”
Don took over the Pioneers in the early 1960s, almost immediately after graduating from Marietta. He went to work constructing a reputation for his program and forming relationships in the community. The bond between the citizens of Marietta and their beloved Etta Express has stayed strong throughout the years.
“When we get introduced at our first home game of the season, it’s an awesome feeling to hear your name called and look into the crowd at a packed stadium,” senior outfielder Matt DeSico says. “You see all different types of people—little kids all the way up to people in their 80s that have been around Marietta baseball for years.”
With the foundation put in place by Don, top talent began flocking to Marietta, and the championships followed soon after. The Division III World Series was held at Pioneer Park at the College of Marietta from 1976 to 1988. In that span, the Etta Express took first place three times, winning the national title in 1981, 1983 and 1986.
When Don decided to retire in 2003, he had amassed a record of 1,442 wins against only 329 losses in his tenure as head coach. In May 2006, Pioneer Park was renamed in his honor.
When the coaching staff at Marietta tells recruits that they have a chance to win the title every year, they are discussing facts, not making empty promises. The trip to the Division III World Series in 2007 was the 19th appearance for the Etta Express, more than any other D-III program.
Chris Beatty, a senior designated hitter, recalls those winning credentials influencing his decision to attend Marietta. Chris had offers from larger schools—including the Division I program at Duquesne University, which is located in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
“Marietta had won the national title during my senior year of high school, so I knew if I chose to go there I had a chance to be successful,” Chris says.
Chris led the team in homeruns and runs batted in (RBI) last season, but he knows individual accomplishments mean nothing.
“If I go out and have a bad year and bat .100, I’ll still call it a great year if we win a national title,” Chris says.
The Pioneers understand that the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the one on the back. Wearing the uniform means representing a tradition. Players come and go, but the wins have been coming in for decades.