Charlie Long, head coach of Wesleyan's 1999 National Championship Baseball Team, completed his 25th year with the N.C. Wesleyan Department of Athletics in 2016. Entering his 20th season as head baseball coach, Long has racked up 429 career wins, second only to inaugural Hall of Famer Mike Fox.

In the fall of 1991, Long joined the Bishops' staff as head volleyball coach while serving as the school's first full-time assistant baseball coach. In 1995, he functioned as the Bishops' interim head coach and led Wesleyan to the Conference Championship, making it to the title game of the South Regional.

Long took over as full-time head coach for the Bishops in 1999. That championship season saw him named both the Dixie Conference and South Region Coach of the Year, as well as the North Carolina College Coach of the Year and American Baseball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. Seven years later in 2006, the veteran skipper again earned South Region Coach of the Year honors after leading NCWC to its 12th World Series appearance. The Bishops, who received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the USA South Tournament, hosted and won the South Regional crown.

The 2009 and 2010 seasons saw Long earn USA South Coach of the Year honors for the second and third times of his career after leading NCWC to back-to-back USA South Regular Season crowns, bringing the program's all-time total to 17. Wesleyan also secured its 6th Conference Tournament Title in 2009, as well as the program's 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Long has captured five USA South (formerly Dixie) Conference Championships, while leading Wesleyan to a 16-9 overall record in NCAA Tournament play. He has also guided four players to All-American honors, while several have gone on to play at the professional level.