The American Baseball Coaches Association has announced 11 individuals to be inducted to the ABCA Hall of Fame in January 2018.
The ABCA Hall of Fame Class of 2018 includes:
Ed Blankmeyer, St. John’s University (N.Y.)
Hill Denson, Belhaven University (Miss.)
Don Freeman, Prairie High School (Wash.)
Jim Gilligan, Lamar University (Texas)
Tim Hill, Sr., State College of Florida
Bobby Howard, Columbus High School (Ga.)
Andy Lopez, University of Arizona
Stan Luketich, Desert Vista High School (Ariz.)
Pat McMahon, New York Yankees
Frank Permuy, Gaither High School (Florida)
John Schaly, Ashland University (Ohio)
The 2018 ABCA Hall of Fame inductions will be held during the ABCA Convention on Jan. 5, 2018 at the J.W. Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tickets to the event will go on sale starting in September.
Induction to the ABCA Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by the organization. The ABCA was founded in 1945 and the Hall of Fame began in 1966.
LINK: ABCA Hall of Fame Website
Ed Blankmeyer, St. John’s University (N.Y.)
The winningest coach in St. John's University baseball history, head coach Ed Blankmeyer completed his 22nd season at the helm of the Red Storm baseball program with a career record of 758-460-4 (.620) through 2017. Blankmeyer has guided the Red Storm to four Big East Tournament crowns as well as five Big East regular season titles. He has led the squad to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, including the program's only NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2012.
Blankmeyer has earned Big East Coach of the Year honors a conference-record seven times and has been named the ABCA/Diamond Northeast Region Coach of the Year four times. Blankmeyer, who has guided St. John's to eight 40-win seasons, has had over 100 All-Big East selections.
Blankmeyer has had three coaching stints with USA Baseball, including head coach of the Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2016. That squad claimed series wins against both Chinese Taipei and Cuba and tossed the first-ever no-hitter against the Cuban National Team in international play. Later in 2016, Blankmeyer was part of a Premier12 coaching staff led by manager Willie Randolph, which won a silver medal at the inaugural WBSC Premier12, a global championship made up of the top 12 countries in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings. Blankmeyer spent the summer of 2010 as an assistant coach of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that went 16-3 and won the silver medal at the V FISU World University Baseball Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Blankmeyer has coached more than 80 players who have gone on to play professional baseball, including Major Leaguers Craig Biggio (MLB Hall of Fame), Mo Vaughn (1995 American League MVP), Matt Morris, John Valentin, Rob Delaney, Craig Hansen and Joe Panik.
The 25-year ABCA member served as President of the ABCA in 2015, and is a current member of the ABCA's Board of Directors. He is also the chair of the ABCA's NCAA Div. I Legislative Proposals committee and a member of the Editorial committee. He has also served on the NCAA Baseball Selection Committee and as President of the Big East Baseball Coaches Committee.
An outstanding second baseman in his own right, Blankmeyer played four seasons at Seton Hall, where he co-captained the 1976 Pirate team that went on to play in the NCAA Northeast Regional and was the starting second baseman for both the 1974 and 1975 Seton Hall squads that played in the College World Series. Blankmeyer earned Academic All-America honors during his tour at Seton Hall and graduated in 1976. Following his graduation, he was a 21st-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles and spent one season in the Orioles system.
Blankmeyer has been inducted into both the Seton Hall and North Shore High School Halls of Fame.
Hill Denson, Belhaven University (Miss.)
With more than 30 years of coaching experience, Hill Denson has compiled a career record of 1,273-842-2 (.601), including a 1,058-774-2 (.562) collegiate coaching mark in 17 seasons at Belhaven University and 14 seasons at the University of Southern Mississippi.
At Belhaven, from 2001-17, Denson and the Blazers have accumulated a 590-388 record (.603). His Blazers have won six conference championships, an NAIA Opening Round tournament and made the school's first ever appearance in the NAIA World Series in 2010.
From 2006-11, Denson led the Blazers to six consecutive 40-plus win seasons, five of which culminated in both a conference championship and a berth to the NAIA Tournament.
Denson served as head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi from 1984-1997, where he helped establish USM as a nationally recognized baseball power. Denson left Southern Mississippi with a coaching record of 468-386-2 (.547).
Denson enjoyed many years of success while at USM, including being named Metro Conference (now Conference USA) Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990, having 12 consecutive winning seasons (1986-1997), a school-record 42-win season in 1990, NCAA Tournament bids in 1990 and 1991, eight USM players being named All-Americans and 35 players signed to professional baseball contracts.
Denson was recognized by the University of Southern Mississippi with the changing of their stadium's name to Hill Denson Field at Pete Taylor Park in 1999.
Denson, a 38-year Lifetime ABCA member, was inducted into the Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He has also been inducted into the Southern Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame (1990), the Bobcat Sports Hall of Fame at Jones County Junior College (2012) and the Mississippi Semi-Pro Baseball Hall of Fame (1982).
Prior to his tenure at USM, Denson served as the Director of In-Game Promotions for the Nashville Sounds, then a New York Yankees affiliate. He also served as an assistant baseball coach at Vanderbilt University.
Denson's high school coaching experience included stints at three Mississippi high schools: Callaway High School, Manhattan High School and Chamberlain-Hunt Military Academy. Denson wrapped up his high school coaching career with a 215-68 (.760) record.
A native of Bay Springs, Miss., Denson is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Science Education. He received his master's degree in School Administration from Mississippi College.
Don Freeman, Prairie High School (Wash.)
In a coaching career that has spanned 43 years and four continents, Don Freeman has left his mark on the game of baseball around the world.
While Freeman has coached in the United States for the majority of his career, he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Mainz Athletics, who compete in Germany's top professional baseball league. In 2017, Freeman returned to the league as manager for the Munich-Haar Disciples.
He also served as pitching coach for the German National Team in 2014 and worked as an Envoy for Major League Baseball in Germany for several years.
Here in the United States, Freeman's head coaching career began in 1979 at Prairie High School in Vancouver, Washington, where he coached baseball, football and gymnastics. In 26 seasons at Prairie, his baseball teams claimed two state championships in 1986 and 1989.
After his departure from Prairie in 2004, Freeman took over as the head coach at Hillsboro High School in Oregon for three seasons before returning to Washington as the baseball coach at Heritage High School in 2008. In 2010, he left Heritage and began the process of rebuilding the program at Clark College in Vancouver that had been dormant since the 1992 season.
In just four seasons under Freeman, Clark College became a top contender in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). His 2014 team finished atop their division and competed in the NWAC playoffs, ending the season with a 31-15 record.
Freeman was named an NFHSCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1995 and is a three-time ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year (2000, 2003 and 2008).
He coached USA Baseball under-16 national teams at two Pan American Games and two world Championships. In 2010, Freeman was the head coach for the USA Baseball Women's National Team that finished third at the World Championship.
For 10 years, Freeman served as the president of the Washington High School Baseball Coaches Association. During that time, he was instrumental in the formation of the Washington/Oregon All-Star Classic, now known as the Cascade Classic, which includes the state of Idaho as well.
Freeman is a well-respected clinician who speaks at baseball clinics around the world. He has spoken at multiple national conventions including the 2008 ABCA Convention in Philadelphia.
He has remained heavily involved with ABCA, currently serving on the association's Ethics Committee. He previously spent nine years on its All-America and Coach of the Year Committee.
In 1996, Freeman was inducted into the Washington Baseball Hall of Fame and was inducted to the T.O.D.A.Y Foundation Southwest Washington Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
Jim Gilligan, Lamar University (Texas)
With a career record of 1,320-875-1 (.601), Jim Gilligan is one of only a handful of coaches who have won over 1,300 games as a college head coach. He finished his career in 2016 as the No. 10 winningest coach in NCAA Div. I history and ranked No. 13 in wins among all NCAA Divisions.
For 38 years, Gilligan was part of the baseball program at Lamar University. He was the team's ace pitcher in 1967 and 1968 and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant there in 1970. Two years later, Gilligan landed his first head coaching gig at Western New Mexico University, but just a year later in 1973, he landed the head coach position at Lamar, a job he held from 1973-86 and 1992 until his retirement in 2016. He led the Cardinals to 12 NCAA Regional appearances.
His career at Lamar is split into two periods. His first phase spanned from 1973-86 to which he led the Cardinals to seven league championships and six NCAA appearances. He was the youngest head coach to reach the 500-career victory milestone in 1986.
When he returned in 1992, Gilligan had to revive a struggling Cardinal program. That year, he improved the Cards to a 32-21 record and followed that with a Sun Belt Conference Championship in 1993. Following that championship, he won two more league crowns, three tournament championships and made five NCAA Regional appearances.
Ten of Lamar's 12 conference championships were won under Gilligan and the team had 29 seasons of 30 wins or more, eight 40-win seasons and one 50-win season. His 1981 team set the school record with 54 victories.
Gilligan was a six-time league coach of the year and was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, alongside names like Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Kenny Rogers. He is also a member of the Southland Conference Hall of Honor and was named a Distinguished Lamar Alum in 2012.
During his stint away from Lamar, Gilligan managed the 1987 Salt Lake Trappers of the Pioneer League that won 29 consecutive games. To recognize the achievement, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., created a permanent display featuring Gilligan's No. 29 jersey. In 1986, as the Trappers' pitching coach, Gilligan helped lead the Trappers to the Pioneer League Championship.
When the Southland Conference celebrated its 50th anniversary, it released five all-decade teams and Gilligan was listed on four of them. For the 1960s, he was listed as a pitcher, and for the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s, he was listed as a coach.
Gilligan coached 133 all-conference selections, 79 Major League draftees, six Major Leaguers and four All-Americans during his career.
Tim Hill, Sr., State College of Florida
Tim Hill, Sr. was one of the winningest junior college coaches of all-time and was best known for having led the State College of Florida for 31 seasons. Hill, who passed away in 2015, is still recognized as the winningest coach in the history of Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) baseball. For his career, he amassed a record of 1193-550-3 (.683) and ranked sixth all-time in wins among junior college coaches as of 2016.
Hill came to the State College of Florida in 1978 to serve as an assistant coach to ABCA Hall of Fame member Robert C. Wynn. He assumed the head coach role for the then Lancers and served in this post until his retirement following the 2012 season. In 31 seasons as head coach, Hill led his teams to a 1,109-484-3 (.695) record. He received 17 Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year awards and 20 coaching awards presented by other organizations.
Under Hill, the Manatees captured 17 conference titles, seven state titles, made five trips to the Alpine Bank JUCO World Series and managed three top-three national tournament finishes.
In 2005, Hill was inducted to the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame. He was a member of the inaugural class of inductees into the SCF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the FCSAA Hall of Fame in 2000.
Hill was named an ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2010. Hill was honored four times by both the Florida Diamond Club and Louisville Slugger as the state's Junior College Coach of the Year and was FCSAA Coach of the Year six times.
He was named to the George Washington University Baseball All-Century Team and received the NJCAA Alpine Bank JUCO World Series Sportsmanship Award in 1999. He was also chosen by his coaching peers to serve as an assistant coach for the 1991 USA National Olympic Trials.
An accomplished player in his own right, Hill played three seasons at Luray, Va., as part of the Shenandoah Valley League while enrolled at George Washington University. After compiling the second highest batting average in the nation (.471), he signed a pro contract with the former Washington Senators.
Hill played two seasons of pro ball before starting his coaching career at Yorktown (Va.) High School where his teams won five titles in six seasons. Hill then spent four seasons at South Florida Community College before assuming the reins at SCF.
Over the course of Hill's career, 293 of his former players moved on to four-year schools and 202 of his former players were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Of those, 145 have earned a spot on pro rosters and 17 have advanced to the Major League level.
Bobby Howard, Columbus High School (Ga.)
With a career coaching record of 985-296 (.769) and a total of 12 Georgia high school state championships, Bobby Howard has distinguished himself as one of the most successful high school baseball coaches of all time.
Howard spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, where he led his teams to back-to-back area playoff appearances, including a 2016 7A region championship.
Prior to his time at Central, Howard spent 31 seasons as the head coach at Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia, where he racked up 12 state championships and seven state runner-up finishes to go along with 29 region championships. In 2004 and 2012, his teams finished the season ranked No. 2 in all national polls.
The 11-time State Coach of the Year was recognized as the ABCA/Diamond National High School Coach of the Year in 2000, as well as an ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year in 2000, 2005 and 2012. He was also named USA Today's 2004 National High School Coach of the Year and ESPN's National High School Coach of the Year in 2012.
In 2005, Howard was selected to serve as the head coach of the Aflac East High School All-America team, where he had the opportunity to coach the best high school players in the country.
Howard has coached several players who have gone to play professional baseball, including MLB Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. Among Howard's other former players to make it to the Major League Level are Garey Ingram, Reggie Abercrombie and Willie Harris.
As a coach, Howard is a member of the Georgia Dugout Club Sports Hall of Fame, the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame and the Sunbelt Classic Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Columbus State University and Jordan High School Halls of Fame as a player.
The Jordan High School graduate has coached at several other schools including his alma mater Jordan High, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Kendrick High School and Middle Georgia College. In his lone year at Middle Georgia, Howard led his team to a 1997 state championship.
The 34-year ABCA member has been a featured speaker at the ABCA Convention and has spoken at several state coaching clinics across the South. Howard has also served the National High School Baseball Coaches Association for five years as a member of the Southeast All-Region and All-America Committee.
Andy Lopez, University of Arizona
In 33 years as a collegiate head coach, Andy Lopez became one of the winningest NCAA Div. I coaches of all-time, amassing a record of 1177-742-7 (.613). A two-time ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year, Lopez is one of only two NCAA Div. I head coaches to have won a national title at two schools (Arizona and Pepperdine).
He is also one of only three coaches to lead three different schools (Pepperdine, Florida and Arizona) to the College World Series. Further, he is one of four coaches to take two schools to Omaha on multiple occasions (Arizona, Florida).
Lopez spent the final 14 seasons of his career (2002-15) leading Arizona, guiding the Wildcats to College World Series appearances in 2004 and 2012. In 2012, Lopez led Arizona to a share of the Pac-12 championship and a perfect 10-0 record in the postseason, culminating in the school's fourth national championship. The Pac-12 Coach of the Year that season, Lopez also was named national coach of the year by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Lopez began his collegiate head coaching career at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 1983. His teams won league titles in 1986 and 1987. The latter went on to the NCAA Div. II College World Series. Three different times he was named the conference coach of the year and his teams went 168-152-2 (.525).
Pepperdine hired Lopez to lead the baseball team in 1989, and over six seasons, he tallied a record of 241-107-3 (.691), including the 1992 campaign when Lopez was named consensus National Coach of the Year for leading the Waves to their first and only national championship.
In 1995, Lopez began a seven-year stint at the University of Florida, turning the Gators into a top-25 program and making trips to the College World Series in 1996 and 1998.
A total of 131 Lopez-coached players have signed professional contracts. He has also coached 39 All-Americans and 85 All-Conference players.
Lopez played college baseball at Los Angeles Harbor Community College and UCLA. A 1975 graduate of UCLA, Lopez was the team captain and starting shortstop for the 1975 Bruin team. He was drafted in the ninth round by the Detroit Tigers, but opted to complete his studies and begin his coaching career instead of turning pro.
He got his first coaching job at his junior college alma mater, L.A. Harbor Community College, where he spent two seasons as an assistant. He was then hired at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif, where he led the team to a 108-48 (.692) record over five seasons.
Lopez is a member of six local Halls of Fame: Pima County, UCLA, Pepperdine, L.A. Harbor Community College, San Pedro and the South Bay Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Lopez was involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and twice served as the manager for Athletes in Action.
Stan Luketich, Desert Vista High School (Ariz.)
In 30 years as a high school head baseball coach, Stan Luketich won over 360 games and captured three Arizona state titles.
The longtime Desert Vista skipper got his coaching start at Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, in 1976 where coached football and baseball. After serving nine seasons as an assistant baseball coach, Luketich took over the Moon Valley program in 1985, serving as head coach until 1993. His 1989 team captured the Arizona high school state championship, the first of Luketich's career.
In 1996, Luketich was tasked with starting the Desert Vista High School baseball program. In 21 seasons at Desert Vista, he led the Thunder to three Arizona Final 4's (2005, 2007 and 2009), a state runner-up finish (2000) and two Arizona high school state championships in 1999 and 2001. For his career as a high school coach, Luketich holds a 368-233-1 (.611) record.
Following his second state championship, Luketich was named an ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year as well as the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1999. He was inducted into the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007.
Along with his high school coaching career, Luketich has spent time at the collegiate and professional levels. He served as an assistant coach to ABCA Hall of Fame member Tom Petroff at the University of Northern Colorado and spent two seasons (1991-92) coaching in the Detroit Tigers' organization.
For 21 consecutive summers, Luketich worked as a coach for the Major League Baseball Envoy international program. Beginning in 1994 as part of the Envoy program, he led the Senior National Teams for Belgium and the Czech Republic, and served on the staff of the Senior National Team for Spain. He also worked with teams from England, Germany and Italy.
The 42-year coaching veteran also served as a special education teacher for 39 years before retiring from education in 2014.
An active member of ABCA since 1985, Luketich served as a clinician at the 2012 ABCA Convention in Anaheim, where he was also honored with the 2012 ABCA Ethics in Coaching Award.
At least 100 of his players went on to play collegiate baseball, and 11 of his former players signed professional baseball contracts. Among those is Jaycob Brugman, center fielder for the Oakland Athletics, and shortstop Corey Myers, who was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.
Luketich is a 1975 graduate of Northern Arizona University where he earned his bachelor's degree in Special Education and his master's in Educational Administration.
Pat McMahon, New York Yankees
Longtime ABCA Board Member Pat McMahon is now in his ninth season with the New York Yankees organization and his sixth as their Director of International Player Development.
Prior to the Yankees, McMahon amassed 30-plus years of combined college and high school coaching experience. McMahon served seven seasons (2001-07) as head coach at the University of Florida. He led the Gators to a runner-up finish in the College World Series in 2005 and a 231-143-1 record.
The 2015 ABCA/Wilson Lefty Gomez Award winner was also head coach at Old Dominion (1990-94) and Mississippi State (1998-2001).
In his first season as head coach at Mississippi State, McMahon was named ABCA/Diamond South Region Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to the College World Series. He subsequently led the Bulldogs to consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearances, and the team went 164-88 in his four seasons.
McMahon began his collegiate coaching career at MSU as a graduate assistant from 1980-81 and served as assistant coach (1983-89) and associate head coach (1995-97), working under ABCA Hall of Famer Ron Polk during all three stints. The Bulldogs went to the College World Series in 1981 and 1985 and posted at least 50 wins three times, including a school-record 54 wins in 1989.
McMahon has worked extensively with USA Baseball throughout his career. He helped lead the USA to a Pan American Games bronze medal as an assistant in 1991, was pitching coach in 1997 and head coach of the 2001 squad.
As head coach at Old Dominion, McMahon guided the Monarchs to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, two 40-win seasons and an outstanding 189-86 record.
McMahon also led the short-season Class A Staten Island Yankees in 2008, where the team posted a league-best 49-26 record, and served as a special assistant for player development and scouting.
As a player, McMahon was drafted by the New York Mets out of Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, Fla., but turned down a pro contract to play in college. He played two years at St. John's River College and two years at Stetson as a pitcher.
McMahon and his wife, the former Cheri Wells, live in Gainesville, Florida. They are the parents of a daughter, Logan, and a son, J. Wells.
Frank Permuy, Gaither High School (Florida)
Longtime Gaither High School head coach Frank Permuy collected over 1,300 wins across multiple levels of amateur baseball in his career. The Tampa, Florida, native spent every one of his 50 seasons as a head coach in his home state, coaching at the high school, legion and collegiate levels.
After his playing career was cut short by injury, Permuy began coaching American Legion baseball and continued to do so for 50 years. His Legion teams were very successful, including his 1981 team that claimed a World Championship as he was named American Legion National Coach of the Year. In total, his teams captured 25 district titles, 14 area titles, seven state titles and three regional titles.
Upon completion of his undergraduate degree at the University of Tampa, Permuy began his high school coaching career at Leto High School, where he coached both the baseball and football teams. In 1972, he led his baseball team to a co-conference championship.
After two seasons at Leto, he had the opportunity to return to his alma mater, the University of Tampa, where he served as head coach for five seasons. There, he led his teams to two NCAA Div. II top 10 national rankings and a 95-80 (.543) record.
Permuy returned to high school baseball at Tampa Catholic in 1982, where he led the program to a Class 3A state title and was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) 3A State Coach of the Year in his first season. He followed that up with a district title the next season.
In 1984, Permuy began the process of building the baseball program at a new school, Gaither High School, where he would spend his final 30 years as a coach and compile a 513-276 (.650) record. By his retirement in 2014, Permuy led the Cowboys to eight Western Conference titles, 13 district titles, two regional championships and a state runner-up finish.
Permuy compiled a career record of 1382-728 (.655). To honor their longtime head coach, Gaither High School named their baseball field "Frank Permuy Park" in 2015.
He was named an ABCA/Diamond Sports Regional Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2006, and was voted Western Conference Coach of the Year eight times.
The 35-year Lifetime ABCA member is the founder and first president of the Bay Area Baseball Coaches Association. He is also a charter member of the NHSBCA. He has previously been inducted to several Halls of Fame: FACA me (2009), Florida High School Athletic Association (2010), National High School Baseball Coaches Association (2013) and the Sports Club of Tampa (2016).
He still speaks at many conventions and is heavily involved in volunteer work with many youth groups such as Little League, PONY, Boys and Girls Clubs and SCORE International.
John Schaly, Ashland University (Ohio)
In 30 years as a collegiate head coach, Ashland University's John Schaly is the owner of a 1,089-604-7 (.641) career record through the 2017 season. With his election 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. They were also the first father-son tandem at four-year institutions to each win 1,000 career games.
In 20 seasons in the Ashland dugout, Schaly is 726-386-4 (.651). 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. Ashland has won 40 or more games seven times under Schaly's direction.
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.
The six-time conference coach of the year has also been recognized as an ABCA/Diamond 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 (Ga.). He coached there from 1988-91 and started the baseball program from scratch. His record at Berry was 155-91 (.630). Three times, he led Berry to the NAIA playoffs. Schaly never won fewer than 35 games in a season during his time there and claimed one district title.
During his career, Schaly has coached 28 players who have played professional baseball.
Before becoming a head coach, Schaly served as an assistant 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 36-year 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.