Merryman is a longtime area baseball coach, having coached for 29 years with stops at Central Methodist University, Three Rivers Community College, and Republic High School. Merryman is best know for creating one of the nation’s most successful baseball academies, the Midwest Nationals, in 2001. He and co-founder Justin Anderson have helped over 800 local high school athletes earn college scholarships and has had 116 former players selected in the Major League Baseball draft. Of those 116 picks, Coach Merryman coached 14 before their selection in the Major League Baseball draft. His career coaching record is 948-582. Since becoming the Head Coach at Mission University, Marryman has compiled an 82-88 record. His coaching career began in 1997 when he was an assistant coach at Central Methodist University the year he attained his degree. He followed that up as an assistant at Three Rivers Community College for a season and coached the Clinton American Legion team that summer, in 1998. Merryman then became an assistant coach at Republic High School from 1998-2003, adding American Legion for Republic as well; 1999-2001. In 2002 Merryman and Anderson became fully engrossed with the development of players and the establishment of the Midwest Nationals. Later the organization became Marucci Midwest based at US Ballpark in Ozark, Missouri. Today, the team continues to play at what many across the nation consider, the best facility at the small university level, the newly re-named Ozark Mountain Sports Complex. Merryman ia an Associate Scout with the World Champion Texas Rangers and has been since 2003.
Merryman met the challenge of starting a new program at Baptist Bible College in the summer of 2021 after it had been dormant since 1987. Starting from scratch with a roster almost entirely made up of freshman, the Patriots continued to improve throughout the 2022 season. So much so, that the team finished in fourth place at the Regional Tournament. In the 2023 season, the Patriots reached the National Tournament, after winning the Regional Tournament, under the tutelage of Coach Merryman finishing with a 40-21 record. For his efforts to guide the Patriots to the National Tournament, Merryman was awarded the 2023 NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. In 2024, the squad swept through the NDAG Regional and again made the National Tournament. At the NCCAA National Tournament, the team went 1-2, while finishing tied for 6th and a 33-22 record. Merryman was chosen the 2024 Southwest Conference Coach of the Year. As always, Merryman is looking for continued improvement, consistent play, and hopes to challenge for a regional title this season and a return to the National Tournament. As he puts it, “It’s an honor to be able to share the Gospel with young men and help them succeed on the ball field”. The Patriots also are a part of the campus-wide name change, to Mission University, to reflect a broader mission in spreading the Gospel.
Randy and his wife Dawn have three sons, Grant, Will, and Kellen, and reside in Springfield. They are members of Northside Christian Church.
