The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/266935
66 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY BRUCE WINKWORTH W ithout argument, NC State ju- nior shortstop Trea Turner is considered a top prospect for the 2014 Major League Base- ball First-Year Player Draft. Pick your scouting service — Baseball America, Perfect Game USA, Scout.com, Prospect Wire, Scouting Baseball — and about the worst you'll hear regarding Turner is that after two stellar seasons at NC State, he's a certain first-round pick. Some scouting services, though not all, have Turner as high as the top three to five picks overall. MLB scouts are more guarded in their assessment, venturing only that Turner's draft status for 2014 will depend in large part on his performance on the field. Scouts drool over his speed, and previous doubts about his defense have abated. After Turner battled a serious ankle injury a year ago, however, scouts are taking a wait-and-see approach this time around. "I love the kid, love to watch him play, love his intelligence and his instincts," one area scout said. "He's probably the fastest player in the country and he's exciting as all get-out. He intimidates with his speed. He's just fun to watch. He's going to be a high pick, probably a first-rounder. But if I'm a scouting director, I want to see him healthy for a year, especially swinging the bat. I think he still has a little bit to prove to some people." Turner is generating all kinds of buzz now, but he generated virtually none three years ago as a senior at Lake Vista High School in Lake Worth, Fla. In a state and region teeming with standout baseball prospects, major league scouts paid Turner scant attention, and college recruiters weren't exactly lined up to get his signature on a scholarship. "Guys joke with me about how small I am now, but just imagine how small I was then," said Turner, listed on the NC State roster at 6-1 and 171 pounds. "I was really small then and my style of play was differ- ent. I think I've just grown up a little bit and that's helped me everywhere. I think I've gotten better at everything." Initially, Florida Atlantic, located a few miles down the highway from Lake Worth in Boca Raton, was the only school show- ing much interest. No disrespect intended to FAU, but Turner had his sights set a little higher, on the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference, both es- tablished members of college baseball's high-rent district. To that end, he produced a highlights video from his junior season to send to ACC and SEC recruiters. Among those who received the video was NC State assistant coach Chris Hart, who at the time was assembling his first class as the Wolf- pack's lead recruiter. Hart liked what he saw on the video, and followed that up by scouting Turner in per- son at a showcase tournament in Marietta, Ga., which only reaffirmed his interest. So Hart approached NC State head coach El- liott Avent about offering Turner a scholar- ship. Without seeing Turner himself, Avent showed faith in his assistant coach and gave the go-ahead to make an offer. "Chris evaluated Trea's video and liked it, saw him play in Atlanta and loved him," Avent said. "Chris called me and asked, 'Can I offer him this?' I said absolutely. He was taking a visit to Florida Atlantic and Chris was afraid we were going to lose him, so Trea called and told Chris, 'If I can get [a scholarship] I'll commit to NC State.' Chris calls me back and I said do it." Turner's commitment was hardly a her- alded recruiting coup at the time, but to say the least it's paid enormous dividends for NC State. Hart's first recruiting class will almost certainly go down as the best in school history, and Turner is one of the cornerstone players of that haul. That group's impact on the State program has been profound. In the first two years Turner and his classmates were in Raleigh, NC State won 93 games, including a school-record 50 wins a year ago. The Pack has won two NCAA regionals, advanced to two NCAA super regionals, and a year ago earned the program's first berth in the College World Series in 45 years. They have changed the culture of the program and set a standard that future classes will be challenged to live up to. "That's fine with me, and I hope that whoever comes after us accepts that chal- lenge as well," Turner said. "That's who we are, that's what we want to do. We want to be the best. We want to be the last team to win at the end of the year." Turner's contributions to the NC State program have been crucial. It was obvious from the start of fall practice his freshman year that he would have to be in the lineup every day. With junior Chris Diaz returning as the incumbent shortstop, Turner took a temporary detour to third base. He bat- ted .336 with a school-record 57 stolen bases in 61 attempts. He stole five bags in one game against Clemson and stole nine that week, matching Brett Williams' team- leading total for the entire previous season. By year's end, Turner had gone from unheralded recruit to one of the most deco- rated freshmen in the country. He was first- team All-ACC, a third-team All-American and a consensus Freshman All-American. He played that summer for USA Base- ball's Collegiate National team, touring the United States, Cuba and Holland. "It was just a great job by Chris Hart of seeing him, recognizing him and liking him," Avent said. "Trea sent that video to a few people, but Chris Hart is the one who acted on it. It's one of the best recruiting stories we've had since I've been here." That story only got better as the 2013 season began. Back at shortstop, Turner may have been the best player in the country the first three weeks of the year. Through 14 games, he batted .464 with five doubles, two triples, five home runs, 26 runs scored, 18 RBI and five steals in as many attempts. No one, it seemed, could get him out. He batted safely in the first 12 games of the year, hitting .512 (25 for 49). With Turner setting the table from the leadoff spot in the lineup, NC State entered conference play at 11-2 and on a serious roll. And then disaster struck. On the final play of the first ACC game of the season, a 10-5 loss to Clemson March 8, Turner rolled his left ankle on the first-base bag stretching to beat out an WINNING MENTALITY Junior Shortstop Trea Turner Looks To Help Lead The Pack Back To The College World Series As a sophomore in 2013, Turner posted a .368 batting average, 13 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 66 runs scored, 42 RBI and 30 steals in 36 attempts, and he earned sec- ond-team All-America recognition. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 66-68.Trea Turner.indd 66 2/25/14 2:29 PM