BOB WEST

BACK ON THE BALLFIELD Coach Bob West recognized for dedication to BK baseball program Rachel Lechwar • Copy Editor

On another clear Saturday afternoon, the baseball stadium is packed with spectators, but most are not here for just another ball game. For many, it was them standing on the field years ago, eyes trained on the same man who stands behind the podium now. They gather in reverent silence as the name is unveiled from the scoreboard: Bob West Baseball Stadium. The man behind the podium is surrounded by his wife and children and Bishop Kenny baseball fans who came out to witness this dedication.

“You never think something like that is going to happen and when it does the experience is unbelievable,” West said.

On March 7, BK dedicated the baseball stadium in honor of West, the retired coach who devoted 39 years to the BK community as a teacher, administrator and baseball coach. After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School, where he played baseball, West came back to the sport as a volunteer coach at BK while attending college. He taught biology and became involved as an assistant coach for both baseball and football until 1993, when he took over as head coach for baseball.

“Everybody has a dream of having a job that you look forward to getting up every morning and going to work, and that’s what that was,” West said.

He influenced his teams through rigid practice schedules and drilling. West aimed to prepare players for every situation they might encounter in the baseball game. Players would not be caught walking across the field; once their feet hit the grass, they were sprinting to the dugout. This tradition continues, to this day, as a way to get players in the mindset of the game.

“There was a method to the madness,” John Redenius, Class of 1991, said. “It’s a mental game, so being a mental game, you have to push your players and put them in tough situations; otherwise, this is a game of failure right off the bat with baseball.”

West’s practice schedule paid off with a 549-131 record, 17 district titles and one state championship win in 2002. He was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and has won numerous coach of the year awards. During his first year as head coach, the team had a 32-2 record, nearly undefeated before their second loss in the state championships. It was a special moment for West as he returned to school the next morning to find that all the seniors on the team had slept in the dugout instead of going home and leaving the team.

“As the season would wind down, it became more emotional because you didn’t want it to end and each one of those teams had a special bond,” West said.

West maintained that bond with students and families by assisting players and helping them find their role on the team. Players remember that he was not afraid to be emotional and told students to openly express love for their family, even if they thought it was corny.

As a former player under West, Coach Tommy Edwards witnessed him develop the team and worked with him to execute practices.

“There aren’t many of them out there anymore that stay in it for long periods of time,” Edwards said. “He was able to do it and built a program and sustained a program over the years and had an impact on so many people that I think it’s a fitting situation for that dedication.”

West never truly left the sport, retiring in 2016 and continuing to watch his sons play baseball at the college level. Instead of mowing the field on Sunday, one may find him planting vegetables and flowers in his yard as a part of his newfound gardening hobby. He still keeps up with the team through the Crusader Vision live-streams, but that Saturday was his first time watching a BK game in person since he retired.

“It was special not just going back to the facility but the turnout from the ex-players and teachers I taught with and coaches that I coached with and just people that were fans that had followed us,” West said. “Those are the most special parts of it.”

Photo Caption: Surrounded by family, former coach Bob West receives plaque and dedication of the baseball stadium in his name.