In 33 seasons as a collegiate head coach beginning in 1988, Ashland University’s John Schaly is the owner of a 1,180-645-7 (.644) career record.
With his induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame, he and his late father, Don Schaly, become just the second father-son combination to be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame, along with Paul and Demie Mainieri. The Schaly’s were the first father-son tandem at four-year institutions to each win 1,000 career games.
In 23 seasons in the Ashland dugout, Schaly is 817-427-4 (.655) and his teams have played in the NCAA postseason 14 times, winning four regional championships and making four trips to the NCAA Div. II College World Series, most recently in 2008. Under Schaly’s direction, Ashland has won 40 or more games seven times.
Schaly’s 2002 team won a school-record 48 games and was the first team in program history to win an NCAA Div. II World Series game. The top 12 single-season win totals in Ashland history have been recorded by Schaly-coached teams. In 2019, Schaly oversaw a 48-15 Ashland team which won the?Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament championships, as well as the Midwest Regional tournament title. Their 48 wins tied the program record set in 2002.
The six-time conference coach of the year has also been recognized as an ABCA/Diamond Sports Regional Coach of the Year on four occasions.
Before coming to Ashland, Schaly spent six years (1992-97) as the head coach at St. Leo University. His 1996 team advanced to the NCAA Div. II playoffs, and Schaly was recognized as the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year.
Schaly’s first collegiate head coaching job came at Berry College in Georgia from 1988-91. He started the program from scratch and led the team to a 155-91 (.630) and three NAIA playoff appearances over four seasons. Schaly won at least 35 games each season during his time there and claimed one district title. The team’s 46 wins in 1990 are still tied for the school’s single-season record.
During his career, Schaly has coached 28 players who have played professional baseball.
Before becoming a head coach, Schaly made three assistant coaching stops at the University of Kentucky (1985-87), Marietta College (1984-85) and Iowa State University (1982-84).
Schaly played collegiately at Marietta under his father, Don, where he earned All-America honors in 1981 and 1982 as a second baseman. In 1981, Schaly was named the most valuable player at the NCAA Div. III World Series as Marietta claimed the national title. Schaly is a member of the Marietta College Hall of Fame.
Schaly earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from Marietta in 1982 and his master’s degree in physical education/administration from Iowa State in 1984.
The Lifetime ABCA member currently serves on the American Baseball Coaches Association Board of Directors. He was the president of the ABCA in 2012. He previously served on the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America & Coach of the Year Committee.
