It was fitting that John Schaly’s 1000th win as a head coach came on the Ashland University baseball team’s southern road trip to Florida. 

Schaly began his head coaching career in the south, serving as the head coach for Berry College (GA) for four seasons and St. Leo University (FL) for six seasons.  Schaly earned his first 363 wins in the south before coming back to his home state.

While John Schaly’s legacy was partially built in the south, the Schaly family legacy was made in the Buckeye state. 

Don Schaly won 1,442 games and three national championships as the head coach of division three Marietta College. The starting second baseman and MVP of the college world series for the 1981 national championship team was John.

“I grew up in a college baseball dugout,” said Schaly. “I hung around his teams all the time. And 90 percent of the things I do now are from my dad.”

John Schaly entered the 2015 season with 998 wins; two victories away from becoming the first father-son duo to each have a thousand wins. 

With the only question lingering of when, not if, Schaly would earn his thousand win, AU took care of business early starting the season with two straight wins. 

Following a win over Davenport to start the year, on March 1st AU held off Lewis for a 2-1 win in the first game of a double header in Auburndale, Florida.

“It was a special moment,” said Schaly. “What was neat was that my whole family was there. My mother, my wife and my three oldest kids were all there. My oldest son, Adam, plays baseball at Stetson University in Florida and his coach let him miss games to be there, so it was really nice to have my whole family there.” 

While Don Schaly passed away in 2005, John said the milestone brings him even closer with his father.

 “With us having that connection, being the first father-son duo to do it really means a lot,” said Schaly. “He taught me everything I know. And my only regret was that he wasn’t hear to celebrate with us. I know he is looking down at us and smiling.”