Marietta College Baseball: The Story of the 'Etta Express

Just when you think that all major college sports are tainted, along comes a book that shows that there are elite programs with special coaches and players. The book tells of the enormous success of Marietta College,a Division III program in Ohio, that has produced five national championships with true student-athletes. Forty-five of its former players have signed to play professional baseball. Think Kent Tekulve, Jim Tracy and Terry Mulholland to name a few. Even more have gone on to be highly successful in the private business sector. Someone once described the game of baseball as exquisite. They must have been describing Marietta BB. The book if filled with anecdotes told by its former players that will make you both laugh and bring a tears to your eyes. AND you don't have to be BB fan to enjoy the book. While the body of the book is about BB, the heart and soul is about one man, the coach from 1964-2003, Don Schaly. During that time he won 1442 games with an .814 winning percentage, three national championships and seven time runners-up. Schaly's legacy though is far more than his extraordinary won-lost record. He was tough as nails and had high expectations for his players. He not only taught his players how to play the game the right way but also how to live their life the right way. Despite his almost obsession with the game, Schaly was a family first guy and the games were a family affair. Though he retired in 2003 and died shortly thereafter, his wife, Sue, still attends the games and has a reserved parking space at Don Schaly Stadium. But I think what most defines Schaly is the that his four sons held him in such high esteem that they all followed his example and have pursued success in college athletics. If I had a son my greatest hope would have been for him to be coached by Don Schaly.