Hall of Fame
Under the direction of National, Regional and OAC Coach of the Year Don Schaly, the Etta Express finished with a 44-6 overall record and went a perfect 16-0 in the OAC. The Pioneers won the OAC and Mideast Regional titles advancing to the NCAA World Series for the first time in program history.
In 1975, the NCAA only had two championships, one for the Division I schools and one for Division II and Division III combined. Marietta was the only non-athletic scholarship school in the Mideast Regional and the World Series. During the 1975 season the Pioneers defeated Division I schools Auburn, Davidson, Georgia Tech, Kent State and Xavier. The Etta Express lost to perennial Division II powerhouse Florida Southern in the National Championship game.
While the 1975 team did not win the National Championship, they did set the foundation for a 13-year span that saw the Etta Express win 11 NCAA Regional tournaments advancing to the World Series, three National Championships with five runner-up showings, two third-place finishes and one fourth-place finish.
