The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Schaible, Tervo help lift Cougars to record season
Spring Arbor wins 36 straight, advances to NAIA World Series
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: June 14, 2007
Two local baseball players were recently part of history at Spring Arbor University.
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Former Manchester High School standout Jon Schaible and Clinton High School student Jeff Tervo helped the Cougars come to within a game of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship.
A season that saw a school record winning streak, regional and super regional titles and a trip to Lewiston, Idaho for the Avista NAIA World Series ended with a loss to defending national champion Lewis-Clark State College in the finals May 31. The runner-up finish and 4-2 record in the World Series was the best ever for Spring Arbor, which made its fourth appearance in the World Series. In their three previous trips, the Cougars went 1-6.
For the season, Spring Arbor finished 48-5, the best record in program history.
Schaible, a junior on the team and 2004 graduate of Manchester High School, thought the team was primed for a big season, but admits the team surpassed its goals.
"At the start of the season we knew we could be good with the freshmen recruits we had," Schaible said. "Our goal was to win the regional, but as we got higher in the rankings, we thought winning the regional would give us an automatic bid to the World Series."
The Cougars blazed through the regular season to a 40-2 record, which including a 22-0 mark in the Mid-Central College Conference (MCCC). During the season, the Cougars won 36 consecutive games, another school record. After a loss to Lindsey Wilson College in its fourth game of the season Feb. 24, Spring Arbor wouldn't lose again until May 4 against Northwood University.
Included in the streak were nine wins on the team's spring trip in Florida, two of which over ranked teams. It was the first time Spring Arbor went through its southern trip undefeated.
"We weren't challenged as much in our conference like we were in Florida," Schaible said. "When the streak hit 30 games it started getting in our minds, but our coaches always said play against the game and your level."
Schaible credits Spring Arbor head coach Sam Riggleman and his strategies for most of the Cougars' success. Contributions from the freshman class and the leadership of the seniors also benefited the team.
"Sam came in with the idea that we'd be a scrappy team that could play the small game," Schaible said. "We had three or four freshmen starting, and once they were in they didn't play like freshmen. We also had good leadership from our senior captains."
Schaible was the team's leadoff batter and finished with a .377 batting average and 31 RBIs. He collected 75 hits on the year, including a home run, and scored 58 runs.
Tervo, a freshman pitcher and 2006 graduate of Clinton High School, threw 25 2/3 innings this season. He finished with a 2-2 record and recorded three saves. Tervo recorded his first pitching win in relief March 26 against Goshen College, allowing one run on four hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief. His second victory came three days later against Bethel.
"We had guys from Dexter, Brighton and all around our area, and it was nice to hear about each other's background," Schaible said. "I knew Jeff coming in and I think that helped him get comfortable with the team."
The Cougars didn't have to travel far in the first two steps of the playoffs. Opening with regionals in Battle Creek, the Cougars posted consecutive 4-0 victories over Bethel and Indiana Tech. Madonna extended the regionals with a 7-6 victory over Spring Arbor, but the Cougars answered the following day with a 6-4 victory over the Crusaders.
Spring Arbor hosted the Heartland Super Regionals, and the Cougars delighted the home fans by sweeping St. Ambrose (Iowa) in two straight games. The 11-3 and 6-1 victories sent the Cougars to Idaho for the World Series.
"St. Ambrose is a great team and we surprisingly breezed through," Schaible said. "It was fantastic to win it at home, and that was maybe the most fans Spring Arbor ever had for baseball."
The Cougars began World Series play May 26 with an 8-5 victory over Walsh College (Ohio). Mighty Lewis-Clark State, playing on its home field, shutout the Cougars the next day, forcing Spring Arbor to win four straight games to claim the championship.
After a day off, the Cougars returned to form in a big way, routing Lindenwood (Mo.) 14-6, then defeating Bellevue (Neb.) 7-5 to set up a rematch with Lewis-Clark State.
"What defined our team was a quiet toughness, and we played the same way every time as hard as we could," Schaible said. "We never got nervous and always had a response when things went wrong."
The Cougars were stopped by the defending champions thanks in large part to Beau Mills. The third baseman, who recently went 13th overall in the Major League Entry Draft to the Cleveland Indians, hit three home runs in Lewis-Clark State's 9-2 victory over Spring Arbor.
Despite falling one game short of a national title, the World Series was a positive experience for the Cougars, and Schaible hopes it motivates the team to make another run next year.
"I've heard the coaches talk about Lewiston, Idaho and I never knew where it was, and suddenly we go my junior year," Schaible said. "The experience was awesome and should make us hungry to get back there."
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