How these seniors transformed Jacksonville Routt baseball over the last four years

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Routt baseball team expected big things from Nolan Turner and Conrad Charpentier from the beginning.

That faith was not misplaced.

They were not mere participants but central authors in the team’s rise to the top over the last four years.

Last season, the Rockets ascended to the Class 1A supersectionals with a school-best 30 wins and set multiple individual records along the way.

Turner doled out the most hits (53) and runs (57) in a season while Ryan Oswald departed with the most RBIs (58).

“That’s the most important thing, just creating a program here,” Turner said.

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Turner and Charpentier indeed champion a distinct legacy of steering the program to better shores each year, but more work is still to be done.

“We set some records last year,” Turner said, “but we’ve just got to build off last year. We’ve got to start getting hot soon and I think we will and try to make another run like we did last year.”

All-state shortstop

Turner said his bat has always been an attribute.

The prolific shortstop was named Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association all-state in 1A with a .445 average, 33 RBIs and 33 stolen bases in 2023.

Through 27 games this spring, he has supplied a .340 average with 32 hits, 17 RBIs and 32 runs.

“I just want to make sure my bat sticks for college because it’s a whole new level there,” Turner said.

He has perhaps shifted more of an emphasis toward defense this year.

“The thing with being an infielder, you’ve got to be consistent,” Turner said. “You’re going to make errors at shortstop, so just trying to cut down the errors this season has been a big goal of mine from the previous years and I feel like I’ve been doing well on the defensive side.”

Turner and Charpentier will reunite with Oswald at Lincoln Land Community College next spring, while fellow senior Isaac Long will head to John Wood Community College.

Turner and Charpentier can trace their origins as far back as four or five years old. Long transferred to Routt last season and provided a major boost with a .400 average.

“It’s kind of lucky,” Charpentier said of Turner, “but at the same time it’s going to be even more fun because at least I’m not going into a situation where I don’t know anybody.”

Adding velo

Charpentier will enter LLCC primarily as a left-handed pitcher, even though he currently leads Routt with a .393 batting average — not to mention 33 hits, 29 RBIs and 33 runs.

Charpentier gradually became the team’s top ace after waiting behind Oswald and Cory Ronan, who is now at the University of Hawaii.

He not only added more weight but worked with Routt alum Kyle Welch. He eventually landed an offer over this past offseason.

“We’ve been working on adding velo because I think that’s the next thing for me to take the next step,” Charpentier said. “I’ve got the movement and I’ve got the pitches, I just need to throw a little harder. We did that this offseason, but we’re still looking to add more.”

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Charpentier values fundamentals more than anything else.

“A lot of people don’t realize that throwing 100 pitches is almost like running a marathon,” Charpentier said. “It’s a lot of wear and tear on the body, so you’ve got to be physically fit, you’ve got to take rest more seriously and hydrate and eat well. You’ve got to take care of your arm, too.”

Charpentier came into the week 3-3 with a 1.94 ERA and team-best 52 strikeouts.

“He’s a leader on this team,” said coach Ryan Turner, Nolan’s dad. “He always wants the ball, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff. We’re going to get his best effort.”

Team of family

The Rockets traveled to Memphis in March for a set of games. Nolan Turner described the trip as a positive experience.

“We were in this big house together,” Turner said. “Everybody stayed together and it was a good time for bonding.”

A family dimension permeates the program. Each of the three seniors has a younger brother on the team, including A.J. Charpentier and Brady Turner.

They are not alone. Charpentier also noted several other sets of brothers within the program.

“It makes things fun and enjoyable,” Charpentier said, “but at the same time, we’re all giving each other a hard time. We don’t want to get shown up by our younger brother or whatever, but it makes things more fun, especially at practice and cheering each other on during the games.”

That camaraderie is a source of pride.

“We said at the beginning of the year we’re family no matter what. It’s about just staying close,” Turner said.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Nolan Turner, Conrad Charpentier help Jacksonville Routt baseball grow