Bill Neale sees only one challenge in becoming the new head baseball coach at Bacone College.

“It’s just living up to the coaches who have been here before,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to have been around some great head coaches. They accomplished a lot. I graduated from Bacone. I met my wife at Bacone. I want to be here a long time.”

Alan Foster, Bacone’s athletic director, said the details of Neale’s hiring were worked out Thursday night and he will be officially announced as the baseball coach on the school’s Web site on Monday. The 27-year-old Neale was one of three finalists and among “20-25” applicants for the job.

Foster said Neale’s feelings for Bacone were impressive when he was interviewed for the job.

“His familiarity and passion for Bacone came through,” Foster said. “It’s not just another job for him. It’s a special place for him. The search committee felt like he really had Bacone at the top of his list as far as jobs he wanted.

“You always have concern when you’re promoting an assistant to his first head coaching job — ‘is he ready to be the leader?’ It came through in the interview process that he’s really ready lead this program.”

In March 2004, Neale was one of four Bacone baseball players suspended after a drug raid at the school discovered bottles of anabolic steroids and syringes. Neale said any charges against him were later dropped.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if anything had happened,” Neale said.

Neale started four years as a catcher for Bacone, became a volunteer coach for the Warriors and then was an assistant coach at Fort Gibson High School in 2008. Dino Rosato hired him as an assistant for this past season and now Neale replaces Rosato after Rosato took the job at East Central University in Ada in early June.

“Bill worked extremely hard for me,” Rosato said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. There’s no doubt about it. He’s a good choice. I’m happy to hear that he got the job, to be honest with you.”

The Collingwood, Canada, native Neale inherits a Bacone team that finished 29-20 this past season, finishing second in the Red River Athletic Conference with a 10-5 record.

“This team is full of experience, and that’s going to really help me in my first year,” he said. “We have a chance to do some special things this year. We have a great corps of players coming back. We have a chance to start six or seven position players from last year and it’s great to step into that my in my first year.

“I’ve talked to a lot of the players already. They’re pretty much on board.”