Ashland is where Brian Ash got his start in coaching, so when he saw the chance to go back, he jumped on it.
Ash, who spent the past nine seasons as the head baseball coach for the Jefferson City Jays, has decided to leave the team he coached to the Class 5 Final Four in back-to-back seasons to become the head coach for the Southern Boone Eagles.
"Looking it at, by no means was it an easy decision," Ash said. " If I don't do it now, will there ever be an opportunity again? So that's how I look at things."
Andy Jahnsen, who's coached baseball in addition to boys basketball the past two years at Southern Boone, decided to step away from the baseball side, opening up the door for Ash.
"It came down to a family decision," Ash said. "It felt like it was the best move for us at this point and in my life professionally. We've got family that live in Ashland and Columbia and a 9-year-old boy who would be closer to family. It made sense. It wasn't like I was actively searching. Things popped up there so I obviously took a look at it."
Ash became an assistant for the Eagles in 2000.
"To go back and be the head coach at a place where I really got my feet on the ground is something I'm very appreciative of," Ash said.
Ash won the Class 2 state championship during his first two seasons as the head coach for Blair Oaks in 2005 and 2006. He started coaching the Jays in 2010, reaching the state title game in 2016 and winning it in 2017. It was the Jays' first state title since 1989.
"People have asked me, 'What would have happened if you didn't win one? Would you have stayed there?'" Ash said. "That doesn't weigh in on my decision of what I do. As long as you can make a difference in the athletes' lives and the students' lives, that's the ultimate thing."
Jefferson City ended this past season with a record of 18-14 with a loss in the district semifinals.
Ash also served as an assistant coach for the Lady Jays softball team, but he said he'll be able to focus on just baseball at Southern Boone.
The Eagles finished this past season with a 13-5 record with a loss in the district semifinals.
"You always have great community support, they always have," Ash said. "Even in some of the tougher years."
Now the search begins for a new head coach for the Jays. Ash said he'd support assistant coach Kyle Lasley getting the nod.
"I think he would do a fantastic job," Ash said. " I hope that he does get it, but I don't get to make those decisions."