First of His Kind: Former All-American Cain Remains Connected with Baseball Program
Written by Doug Goodnough
A postcard changed everything for Tim Cain, ’85.
A standout high school catcher, he was all set to attend Kalamazoo College to play baseball when a postcard addressed to him arrived from then-Hillsdale College baseball coach Marc Comstock, ’76.
“He said that he had talked to my high school coach and found out that I was a pretty good player,” Cain said of Comstock’s initial communication. “He said he would like to have me come visit Hillsdale and see what they have to offer.”
Cain’s father had once attended a leadership conference on campus and encouraged his son to look at Hillsdale. A week later, Cain visited campus, and said Hillsdale “treated him like a king.”
When admissions staff planned out his future coursework in accounting during his visit, he said that impressed him.
“(Hillsdale) allowed me to basically jump in with the sophomores and start taking some of the core accounting classes,” Cain said. “I thought that was really cool.”
Once on campus, Cain carved out an impressive career both on the field and in the classroom. The stout defensive catcher known for his cerebral work behind the plate was an all-conference performer who became the program’s first academic All-American in 1985.
“I was known for my defense,” said Cain, who also led the Chargers in home runs during his senior season. “If that pitcher threw the ball toward the plate, it typically would not get by me.
“I’ve always been a hard worker. I entered as an average player, but I would exit above average. I was like a sponge, listening and learning.”
His catching was good enough to draw interest from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers after he graduated from Hillsdale. However, professional baseball was not to be, and he quickly pivoted to a career in accounting.
“Febes Facey was an outstanding accounting teacher,” Cain said of the late Hillsdale faculty member. “She did a really nice job of getting us prepared for our after-college careers.”
Cain’s first job was working for Arthur Anderson in Detroit on the audit staff. After earning his CPA, he realized that working for a large accounting firm wasn’t something he wanted to do long-term.
“I’m not like your typical CPA who is hovering over their desk all the time with their nose in books,” he said. “I like to take more of a marketing and sales approach, so I migrated to smaller companies.”
He worked as a controller and chief financial officer for several companies before developing his current role as a “fractional accountant.” Drawing on his past experience with many small businesses, Cain started Result Makers, LLC, in 2011. As principal, he works part-time as a CFO for many small businesses in a fractional accounting role.
“I’ve been in the metro Detroit area my whole career, so I know a lot of bankers and lawyers who work with small businesses,” Cain said. “So it was easy for me to get some referrals. Now most of my clients have been with me for more than six or seven years. They are all friends of mine. I don’t even want to retire, because I enjoy what I’m doing. I see my friends all the time, and they pay me to work with them.”
He and his wife of 37 years, Melinda (House), ’86, a former basketball and volleyball player for the Chargers, raised two sons who now live in Cleveland and Colorado Springs, respectively. Cain served as a youth travel team baseball coach and also coached freshman and varsity baseball for many years at Northville High School. However, work and family commitments made it increasingly difficult for him to remain in coaching, so he stepped away. He recently decided to “restart” his coaching career and will become Northville’s junior varsity baseball coach this spring.
He remains close with his former Charger teammate and four-year Galloway Dorm roommate Rick Westerhof, ’85.
“Back then, if your roommate didn’t show up, you were charged for a single room,” Cain said of their initial meeting. “Neither of us could afford a single, so we moved in together, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”
He stays engaged with the Chargers program, regularly attending events like the First Pitch Dinner and the baseball golf outing. He said being invited as the featured speaker at the First Pitch Dinner a few years ago was the “spark” he needed to reconnect with the program.
Cain said seeing his framed All-American picture on the first floor of the Sports Complex still brings back fond memories of his time with the Chargers.
“It’s quite an honor,” he said. “It was kind of out of the blue. I didn’t even know I was nominated for it. But they took a picture of me and now it’s up on the wall.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s senior director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in January 2025