Ryan Turner steps down as Routt Catholic baseball coach

Ryan Turner stepped down as Routt Catholic’s baseball coach, ending a seven-year run that produced 143 wins, 60 losses and a fourth-place finish in Class 1A this spring. Turner said he wanted more time with his family and more chances to watch his children play baseball in Jacksonville and elsewhere, and his son Brady is headed to Quincy University next year.

For Routt Catholic in Jacksonville, the move reaches beyond one dugout. The Rockets now have to keep offseason workouts, summer conditioning and next season’s preparation on track while the school looks for the next coach to guide a program that has been among the area’s strongest in recent years. The Illinois High School Association lists Routt as a Class 1A team in Morgan County and shows principal Danielle Evans, athletic director Barry Creviston and assistants Kyle Chumley and Doug Thompson attached to the baseball program, giving the school a core of leadership around the transition.

Turner’s departure also comes after another deep postseason run. IHSA records show Routt lost in the super-sectional last season, and the Rockets’ spring finish added another strong chapter to a program that has stayed near the top of Class 1A under Turner. Brady Turner, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound left-handed pitcher and first baseman in the Class of 2026, had already committed to Quincy, and Channel1450 reported that he and Bryson Mossman signed with the university on April 1.

The baseball opening is part of a larger shake-up at Routt. Turner was the fourth head coach to resign in the past year, and the school has already filled openings in football, boys basketball and volleyball. That broader turnover means the Rockets are rebuilding multiple programs at once, with the baseball search now joining the list of hires that will shape how Routt moves into the next school year.