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Eagle Perspective:
An Interview With Baseball Coach John Schaly |
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By Andrea Adame, AU Sports Information
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This
is the 12th in a series of interviews profiling Ashland
University athletic department coaches and athletic
administrators. These features will only appear on The
Eagles Online. This interview is with baseball coach John
Schaly.John Schaly is in his seventh year as head coach of the Eagles. He received his undergraduate degree in physical education from Marietta and his master’s degree in physical education/administration from Iowa State. Before coming to AU Schaly coached at St. Leo’s in Florida for five years. Schaly and his wife, Becky, reside in Ashland with their children Nikki, Adam and Andrew. Q: What got you interested in coaching collegiate baseball? A: “My father coached for 40 years so I grew up around the college team and hung around baseball my whole life.” Q: In your coaching career, what has been your favorite moment? A: “The 2002 Division II World Series in the opening game when we won 12-5 against the No. 2 ranked team in the series. The guys played pretty well.” Q: What is your favorite position to coach and why? A: “I enjoy them all. My strength is infield and the offensive game with hitting and bunting.” Q: If you could travel and play anywhere, where would you go? A: “Hawaii someday would be neat.” Q: Is baseball your favorite sport and why? A: “I played football, basketball, golf, wrestling and I enjoy all sports. I like baseball best because of the little things involved. A lot of people who don’t know the game don’t see it, but there is a lot of behind the scenes going on that makes the game enjoyable. It is a team sport, but it is individual as well.” Q: What do you hope to accomplish in your coaching career? A: “The number one thing is to give all our players a great college experience. We try to help them grow as players and as a person and give them tools to be successful the rest of their life, which is really what it’s all about. Ultimately the goal is to win a national championship.” Q: What did you learn by coaching your son’s youth Little League team? A: “You need a lot more patience. I enjoy the different age. It’s relaxed and laid back, but you definitely need more patience. Q: What do you like most about Ashland? A: It’s been an enjoyable time and we really like the town. We have good support and couldn’t have had success without the help from the administration.” |