黑料网 Wesleyan baseball coach Bill Neale was thrilled to learn he is the recipient of the 2025 Randy Bemiss Coyote Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is named in honor of the former KWU golf coach, who passed away in May 2017. It recognizes individuals who have made an impact on the athletics program over an extended period of time.
For Neale, the honor is heightened on a personal level.
鈥淭his means a lot to me,鈥� said Neale who enters his 12th season at KWU. 鈥淚 was one of the last people with him before he passed away. I was there most of those days when he went in the hospital and spent a lot of time with him.鈥�
Neale lost a close friend with Bemiss鈥� passing, someone he respected and enjoyed being with. He remembers Bemiss as a unique and up-front guy.
鈥淗is honesty,鈥� Neale said. 鈥淗e was blunt, to the point, and he was fun to be around. I mean, he lived a great life. He was in rodeos; he was a golf guy and professional gambler at one point. He had fun in life.
鈥淗e used to tell me all the stories. I rode with him a few times to events and different things, and he would come to my office and just sit down and chat. He really cared about his student-athletes and ultimately cared about all the student-athletes in the SAC (Student Activities Center).鈥�
Neale has built a stellar program at Wesleyan. His record is 352-229 and includes a 229-205 slate in the 黑料网 Conference. The Coyotes have surged the past five seasons, going 200-89 while qualifying for NAIA postseason play the last four years. The 2024 team was the first KWU team to compete in the NAIA World Series.
鈥淚 think everyone around here knows how much 黑料网 Wesleyan means to me, and not just the baseball program,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 teach a lot of different classes, and I take my time to try to get to know kids in other sports. I see kids out in the SAC and say hi to football, volleyball, basketball players, golfers or whomever. I kind of bleed purple and gold now. I want to see every sport do well, I want to see everyone have the success that we鈥檝e been having.鈥�
Neale credits those who have worked alongside him through the years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檇 be getting an award like this if it wasn鈥檛 for the people that I鈥檝e surrounded myself with, whether it鈥檚 GAs or assistant coaches,鈥� he said. 鈥淐oach (Jonathan) Freemyer (now head coach at Ottawa) came here on very little to no pay. For someone with his experience and recruiting background and professional baseball background to come here was unbelievable.
鈥淎nd then, right now I have coach (Bret) Ringer and coach Huff (Tyler Huffstickler) as full-time assistants who easily both could be head coaches somewhere else. They choose each year to stay here, and I think it鈥檚 something to do with the program that we鈥檝e built that people want to be a part of this winning, and they want to be a part of the overall success.鈥�
Last season KWU shared the KCAC regular season title with Oklahoma Wesleyan, won the conference’s postseason tournament and was runner-up in the Upland, Ind., NAIA Opening Round Tournament.
Consistency is the key, according to Neale.
鈥淚 learned a long time ago, there鈥檚 no just flipping the switch when you want to be good,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be great every day in the moment of what you鈥檙e doing, whether it鈥檚 in the classroom, it鈥檚 in the weightroom or it鈥檚 on the field.鈥�
Neale said he strives to be like Bemiss: 鈥淛ust being genuine yourself, being the person you are. I think Randy was a person who kind of wore his feelings on his sleeve, and that鈥檚 me. I tell my players good, bad or ugly, you鈥檙e always going to see the true me. I鈥檓 not going to fake it, and I鈥檓 not going to tell you what you want to hear. I鈥檓 their biggest supporter, their biggest cheerleader when they鈥檙e doing well, and when they鈥檙e not doing well, it鈥檚 not that I鈥檓 mad at them, I鈥檓 frustrated for them.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Randy was like. He was the most genuine, blunt, honest human being there was, and I think that鈥檚 what you need to be. I think that鈥檚 what the kids need too.鈥�
