Famous Columbus area baseball family now has another member leading local high school team
The Rasmus name is renowned for baseball excellence in the Columbus area. This week, the family added to its local history when one member was named head coach of a local school.
Case Rasmus, one of the three sons of former Russell County High School baseball head coach Tony Rasmus to play professional baseball, is the new leader of the program at St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School.
Pacelli announced the hiring of Rasmus on Wednesday. He replaces Adam Thomas, a former Chattahoochee Valley Community College head baseball coach, who resigned from Pacelli due to unspecified health reasons, according to the news release.
“We are grateful for the two seasons Coach Thomas led the Pacelli baseball program,” Pacelli athletics director Calvin Thomas said in the news release. “He not only taught our student-athletes how to be better players but also encouraged them to be better people. The future of Pacelli baseball is bright with Coach Rasmus joining our Viking family to lead the program. He is a very talented baseball coach and player, but his character and the relationships he has built with players really stood out to me during the interview process.”
Case Rasmus background
Rasmus, a Phenix City native, graduated in 2008 from Russell County High School, where he played catcher and joined brothers Colby, Cory and Cyle along with dad/coach Tony to lead the Warriors to a state championship and Baseball America’s No. 1 national ranking in 2005.
Tony Rasmys also was the head coach of the Phenix City Little League team that won the 1999 U.S. championship with Colby and Cory among the players.
Case Rasmus was too young to be on that team, but he went on to join his older brothers as professionals. After playing for Gulf Coast Community College, Northwest Florida State Community College and Liberty University, this Rasmus played four years in the minor leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, reaching Double-A. The Cardinals selected him as one of their minor league All-Stars in 2013 and invited him to their major league spring training in 2014.
After his playing career, Rasmus attended Troy University to complete his bachelor’s degree in history. He founded CR Baseball, a Christian-based training facility in Phenix City, and coached nationally ranked travel baseball teams, helping players earn college scholarships. He also was an assistant coach under his father for a few years at Russell County.
In 2020, Rasmus joined the baseball staff at Southern Union Community College. He was recruiting coordinator, coached hitters and catchers and led the weight-room program.
“I am honored to follow behind (Alabama Baseball Coaches Association) Hall of Fame Coach Adam Thomas,” Rasmus said in the news release. “To be a part of Viking Nation and help these young men grow in their relationships with Christ, as well as their futures on and off the baseball field, is the opportunity of a lifetime. I look forward to the future as a part of the Pacelli family.”
Rasmus family baseball legacy
This hiring adds another chapter to the Rasmus family baseball legacy. Tony Rasmus, who coached Lakeside to a state championship this year, played multiple positions in three minor league seasons (1986-88) with the California Angels organization. Colby Rasmus, an outfielder, played 10 years in the major leagues (2009-18), comprising stints with the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Astros, Rays and Orioles. Cory Rasmus pitched in 84 games (eight starts) over four years in the major leagues (2013-16), mostly with the Angels and three games with the Braves. Cyle Rasmus played for Elon University and Columbus State University.
The Russell County High School baseball program never had a winning season before Tony Rasmus’ first season as the head coach in 2001. He led the Warriors to 590 wins, 17 area championships, a No. 1 national ranking by USA Today, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He helped 70 players earn college scholarships, with 25 of them in NCAA Division I, and Major League Baseball teams have drafted 19 of his players, including four in the first round, he has told the Ledger-Enquirer.
After he was legally exonerated following an accusation that he choked a player in 2021, Tony Rasmus was hired in 2023 at Lakeside.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 9:55 AM.
