Cougar Baseball Set to Start 2026 Spring Season
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team will open its 2026 spring season in Westfield, Indiana, with a doubleheader against Cleary University on Monday, February 16, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team will open its 2026 spring season in Westfield, Indiana, with a doubleheader against Cleary University on Monday, February 16, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Entering the spring season, Coach Veale leads a 33-man roster that features 16 returning players and 17 newcomers, as the Cougars look to remain competitive in the Crossroads League. Last year, MVNU finished third in the conference with a 21–15 league record and an overall mark of 33–19.
Several key players return to anchor the roster. Rider Minnick, a senior infielder from Sparta, Ohio, provided a strong presence at the plate last season, batting .351 with five home runs and 40 RBIs. Minnick was an All-Crossroads League First Team Selection. Joining Minnick in the lineup is outfielder, Brady Lester. The junior from Fredericktown, Ohio also was an All-Crossroads League First Team performer, batting .326 to go with 57 hits, 10 home runs, and 55 RBI. Lester also made an impact on the base-paths, scoring 44 runs to go with 21 stolen bases.
On the mound, Reese Willoughby and Jared Hurlburt enter their senior seasons as an MVNU Cougar. Willoughby, a native of Aurora, Indiana, posted a 4–3 record with 52 strikeouts, while Hurlburt, from Sykesville, Maryland, finished 5–4 with 67 strikeouts. Willoughby enters the spring on a good note after putting together a dominant outing in the team's fall ball game against Ohio Christian on October 11, where he put together a shutout through six innings pitched.
Hurlburt was named the Crossroads League Newcomer of the Year and made the All-Conference First Team after a phenomenal first season on the mound for MVNU. Hurlburt transferred to MVNU from Carroll Community College before the 2025 season and instantly made an impact. The righty had an earned run average of just 2.78 and averaged 8.87 strikeouts per nine innings. Hurlburt also had a WHIP of 1.04 and walked just 12 batters in 68 innings pitched.
MVNU's final senior, Carter LaPata, also returns. The outfielder from Bellevue, Ohio provided a spark on the base-paths, swiping 12 bases last season.
Following its four-game series with Cleary to open the season, MVNU will then go to Melbourne, Florida, from February 27 through March 3 before hosting its home opener on March 13 against Grace College.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,200 students from 36 states, 1 U.S. commonwealth and 41 foreign countries.