Schaly Lands On Cover Of Latest ABCA Inside Pitch Magazine

Ashland University head baseball coach John Schaly has hit his share of milestones in recent months.
 
Another came recently, as he was selected as the cover subject for a question and answer story in the May/June 2025 edition of the American Baseball Coaches Association's (ABCA) Inside Pitch magazine.
 
"It helps me reflect on the mentors I had. Number one was my dad," Schaly said. "And my experience at Iowa State and Kentucky, there were some great coaches. It was many years ago, but was good to be able to reflect back on those days."
 
The two-page Q&A features insight into Schaly's baseball path, from living with and playing for his father, Don Schaly, to his coaching and recruiting philosophy.
 
Schaly became the all-time NCAA Division II baseball wins leader in mid-March, and now has 1,351 career victories (1,351-740-7, .646) – 20^th on the all-levels NCAA baseball list. With 988 wins guiding the Eagles (988-522-4, .654), he is 12 away from becoming the first AU skipper to win 1,000.
 
"That's a reflection on the players that we've had over the years, the assistant coaches, athletic trainers, strength coaches, support staff, and I'm blessed to have all that support here at Ashland," Schaly said.
 
Schaly has had to adapt and adjust to many changes in the college baseball landscape over the years.
 
"Just continually trying to learn and get better," he said. "The basics of our program have probably been the same for many, many years, but we tweak it, try to make things better. The latest has been analytics."
 
Ashland's Schaly went into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2018 – 23 years after his father was inducted in 1995. Don Schaly has 1,438 career wins, meaning John needs 87 more victories to catch him.
 
"I'm honored that they asked to do an article. I'm so grateful to the ABCA," John said, "being a past president, now on their board. Just great people involved with the organization. I've learned so much from people involved with the ABCA."
 
Ashland ended its 2025 season at 37-19 overall and 24-8 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Eagles played in both the Great Midwest and NCAA Division II Midwest Regional tournaments.