College of the Ozarks has announced the planned retirement of Head Baseball Coach Neale Richardson, effective at the end of the 2026 season.

College of the Ozarks has announced the planned retirement of Head Baseball Coach Neale Richardson, effective at the end of the 2026 season.

Richardson came to the College after a successful career in high school coaching, culminating with induction into the Missouri Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006. For the past 11 years, Richardson has led the C of O Bobcats to success on the ball field and beyond. During his tenure, the Bobcats posted 30 or more wins in six seasons, including a standout 44-win campaign in 2022–23. They have claimed a Regional Championship, a Central Southwest Conference Championship, qualified for the NCCAA World Series five of the last six years, and made three appearances in the NCCAA World Series Final Four.

In addition, the 2024-25 Bobcats were recognized with the American Baseball Coaches Association Team Academic Excellence Award. Richardson has coached multiple All-Americans and has seen the fruits of an academic focus pay off, with a significant number of his students becoming NAIA and NCCAA Scholar Athletes. While building a 299-252 record with the Bobcats, Richardson’s program continually produced young men of character who exemplified strong work ethic, and as college graduates, have become contributors and leaders in the workforce and their communities.

For the past 11 years, Richardson has led the C of O Bobcats to success on the ball field and beyond. During his tenure, the Bobcats posted 30 or more wins in six seasons, including a standout 44-win campaign in 2022–23.

Richardson has shaped the Bobcat Baseball program into one of which College of the Ozarks and the surrounding community can be proud. He has made a lasting impact not only on the program but also on the many student athletes he has coached over the years.

“We are thankful for Coach Richardson’s faithful and exemplary service to College of the Ozarks,” said Athletic Director Steve Shepherd. “Under his leadership, our baseball program has experienced unprecedented success. He has built a Christ-centered program that focuses on competing with character and glorifying God every time they step onto the field. His commitment to developing young men, not just as athletes but as people, has left a lasting legacy.”

As the Bobcats prepare for the 2025-26 season, they will not only look to give Richardson his 300^th win, but they will also look to send him out in championship form with a deep post-season run.

Richardson has coached multiple All-Americans and has seen the fruits of an academic focus pay off, with a significant number of his students becoming NAIA and NCCAA Scholar Athletes. While building a 299-252 record with the Bobcats, Richardson’s program continually produced young men of character who exemplified strong work ethic, and as college graduates, have become contributors and leaders in the workforce and their communities.

“It has been a blessing to work with Coach Richardson for 11 years now,” said Bobcat Assistant Coach Justin McMillin. “He leads this program and these young men with the conviction of a servant leader, and he genuinely cares about them as students and people. He has proven that you can be both a strong man of faith and a winner on the baseball field. While we are sad that he is leaving the program, he has left a great impact on all of us at College of the Ozarks.”  

Richardson is set to retire at the end of the 2025-26 baseball season, turning the page from a storied and impactful education and baseball coaching career to writing his next chapter. He plans to spend time with his wife and family, including his two adult children and five grandchildren. He also plans to work on his farm, hunt, fish, attend St. Louis Cardinal spring training, and visit the rest of the Major League stadiums that he has not yet seen.

“I am thankful to College of the Ozarks for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of coaching college baseball,” Richardson said. “Having the opportunity to grow the game of baseball and pour into the young men I’ve coached over the years is an honor that I will always hold close.”

Richardson is set to retire at the end of the 2025-26 baseball season, turning the page from a storied and impactful education and baseball coaching career to writing his next chapter. He plans to spend time with his wife and family, including his two adult children and five grandchildren.

More About Coach Neale Richardson

In 2014, Richardson came to C of O after a successful career in the high school ranks. After a 10-year run at Seymour High School from 1985-1995, and one conference championship, Richardson spent the next 19 years as a teacher, coach, athletic director, high school assistant principal, and high school principal at Forsyth High School. Richardson’s Forsyth teams were not affiliated with a conference until his final two seasons. In those two years, the Panthers claimed two conference titles with undefeated Southwest Central League records.

At Forsyth, his teams played for 11 consecutive district titles, winning seven of the 11. They made four quarterfinal appearances and one trip to the Missouri State High School Activities Association Final Four. He completed his high school coaching career with a record of 552-217-1 and was inducted into the Missouri Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006.