The fifth-grader at the Southern Pines Elementary year-round school is the son of Bill Owen, one of the coaches of the 14-and-under Renegades, and a brother of Amanda, one of the players.
He was a member of the traveling party of over 100 players, family members and friends of the team that made the trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the SEAA World Series.
Early on, as he noticed Owen sidling closer and closer to the action on the field, McNeill realized the youngster had an itch to do more than warm a seat in the stands.
“I asked him one day, ‘Do you want to be a coach?’” McNeill said. “And he said, ‘Yes.’”
Before the week was over, his duties included taking the lineup card out to the umpires and calling the coin flip and helping run some of the drills in practice.
The coach even taught him how to make a pre-game speech.
Owen, who is an in-line skater and has signed up to play recreation football this fall, also made contributions while sitting on the bench next to McNeill.
“We were trailing the Greenville Stars 3-0 and he says, ‘Coach, do you think it’s time we put the rally caps on?’ I said, ‘Yes, I think that would be a good idea.’ He turned his hat around and got everybody else in the dugout to turn their hats around. It got us back focused.”
The 19–and–under team went on to win that game in extra innings 5-4.
It was not unusual for Coach John to give a player a tip on how to correct a flaw just like any coach would do.
“It started out with him just repeating what the other coaches were saying,” said Holly Montjoy, a member of the 19–and–under Renegades. “It evolved into him giving advice of his own. He helped us by not letting us get too serious about what we were doing.”
At the end of a game against the Maryland Elite, Owen showed his head coach that he was not only Coach John to the Renegades, but to an opponent.
“I’ll never forget it, “ McNeill said. “Coach John got right in front of me when we went out to shake hands with the other team. All the girls on both teams were saying, ‘Nice job,’ and they said, ‘Nice job’ to me. When they got to Coach John, they said, ‘Good luck coach John.’ Every team knew Coach John.”
Even in a successful organization like Renegades softball, help sometimes comes from unexpected sources. Owen said that taking out the lineup card and doing the coin flip was his favorite part of the job as a coach. He was asked what got him interested in helping the team.
“My dad gave me a hat and I’ve been watching him coach,” he said. “It made me feel pretty good that I got to help them.”
Credit McNeill for putting a volunteer, with a personality that helps makes the game more enjoyable for everyone involved, to work.
“He’s so cool, he’s super smart and he loves the game,” McNeill said. “It was great watching the interest he took in our teams, and the help he provided. He’s just a good kid to have around.”
Charlie Bergmann can be reached by email at cbergmann@thepilot.com
