Brown County High School’s Eagle Park was lit up Thursday and Friday in tribute to former baseball coach Ryan Wilcoxen.

Wilcoxen suffered a hematoma on his brain on Feb. 19, his wife, Ashley, reported on Facebook.

Wilcoxen was a health teacher at Brown County Junior High School from 2017 to 2019; he was currently teaching at Owen Valley High School.

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He coached eighth-grade basketball at BCJHS and baseball at Brown County High School.

To honor him, Spencer-Owen Community Schools chose to turn on the lights at its baseball field for 48 hours starting Feb. 25. Brown County Schools followed suit, as did several other area high schools and his alma mater, Franklin College.

“While we may never know the cause of the bleed,” his wife wrote, “more than likely it was caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).” AVMs are present at birth and normally cause no problems, she said. They can rupture, but it’s typically seen in people older than 50 who have other medical conditions.

Wilcoxen, 31, died Feb. 25. In addition to his wife, his survivors include two young daughters.

He joined the Brown County teaching and coaching staff from Eastern Greene schools, where he’d been an athletic director at a young age. He left that job to spend more time with his growing family, he told The Democrat in 2017.

He thrived on teaching the players not just the game, but life lessons as well.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at without the game of baseball,” he said in 2017. “I’m here because of the coaches that I had, and I want to relay that same passion, those same life lessons, onto these kids.”

“You can’t just put your head down and quit,” he added. “You’ve got to keep your head up and keep moving.”

His life will continue to make an impact on the lives of others, as his organs were donated. “His everlasting legacy will be quite simple,” Ashley wrote. “He’s a hero.”

Ashley’s sister, Baylee Burton, created a GoFundMe donation page on Feb. 21 with a goal of $25,000. Five days later, $24,470 had been donated.

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Contributions can be made on the family’s GoFundMe at gofund.me/ac9a0463.

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