The award recognizes Bill Neale but he is quick to point out there were many others involved.
Neale, Kansas Wesleyan's baseball coach, has been named a 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association/ATEC Regional Coach of the Year.
The honor recognizes Neale for his work during the 2024 season that saw the Coyotes finish with a program-best 48-12 record that included a 32-4 Kansas Conference-best record, the championship of the NAIA's Shreveport Opening Round - a program first - and their first appearance in the NAIA World Series.
"Personally, it's just a great thing, it means a lot to me and obviously my family," said Neale who completed his 10th season at KWU last spring. "It's given to me but it's just another thing to celebrate our program and what my players did last year. They're the ones that performed on the field and I'm just so proud of them."
Wesleyan won the KCAC title for the second consecutive season and Neale was chosen Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. He has a 311-214 record as the Coyotes' coach and has been an ABCA member for 20 years.
"The organization is at the top when it comes to covering college baseball or just baseball in general," Neale said. "They do top 25s, they do All-Americans and everything. (Jarrett) Gable was a back-to-back All-American with them. It's a big deal.
"Part of it was winning the Opening Round. It's similar to when you win your conference tournament, a lot of times it's the winning coach."
Neale said the award is especially meaningful in the context of his time at KWU.
"Just the grind and the stuff that the (early players) put in and we did as a coaching staff," he said. "(Initially) it was two GA's and myself and we made it to the conference tournament championship my first year here.
"But it's not easy, they don't just put out these awards. You have to earn them. I tell people to pump the brakes a little bit, some already have us punching our ticket to Lewiston (for the World Series) or wherever the Opening Round is."
Neale said he has told his squad the 2025 season will present a stiff challenge.
"I told the team the other day just getting to the conference tournament is something to be proud of, let alone winning the regular season," he said. "Losing only four games in this conference (last season) was incredible.