The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/672211
74 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY DAVID DRIVER T rea Turner ended the 2015 baseball sea- son at a high level, both personally and professionally. The former Wolfpack baseball standout made his big league debut with the Washing- ton Nationals in August, and then on October 3 he was the shortstop as ace right-hander Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter to beat the Mets 2-0 in New York before 41,480 fans. "It was intense. When you get down to the final nine, (then) six outs it is intense," said Turner, a first-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2014. "You want to make every play for him." Turner hit .250 (9 for 36) and was seven- for-seven in steals with the Nationals dur- ing spring training this year. Though many consider him the shortstop of the future for Washington, Turner began this season with Triple-A Syracuse of the International League. He certainly didn't wallow in pity; Turner hit .400 in the first 13 games, with four hits on April 12 against Buffalo and two other games with three hits. He had five hits in a doubleheader April 20 in eight at bats. Turner has also seen some time at second base, where he played on occasion for the Nationals and Syracuse last season after he was acquired in June to complete an earlier trade with San Diego. "Trea has a very high baseball IQ," said Billy Gardner Jr., the Syracuse manager. "He is a very good competitor. He has off-the- charts speed. It shows up on both sides of the ball. He uses the whole field as a hitter. De- fensively he will continue to work on angles and game situations that will get him ready for the next level." "I feel good so far; it has been fun," said Turner, before a game in Allentown, Pa., against Lehigh Valley of the Phillies' system in April. "I have enjoyed playing with a lot of these guys, some that I played with last year. It is good to get off to a good start. "Dusty [Baker, the Nationals' manager] told me I need to work on arm strength and leadership from a defensive standpoint," Turner added. "Sharing information I think is the biggest key. Some people are vocal, some people lead by example." The Nationals want Turner to work on his arm strength because it is important on groundballs hit between short and third. "Getting your feet under you is the big thing," said Turner, who added the long toss and weight training can also aid arm strength. "We have a throwing program to work on mechanics and using his lower half. He is still young, he is still growing," said Mark Scialabba, the director of player development for the Nationals. "We want to keep him fresh at second base." MLB Player Updates Through April 25 • Nathan Karns (Played at NC State in 2007), RHP, Seattle Mariners: Through his first three starts of the year, the hurler who finished his col- lege career at Texas Tech was 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA … Has struck out 16 in 15 2 ⁄3 innings pitched. • Carlos Rodon (2012-14), LHP, Chicago White Sox: The second-year southpaw has started four times for his club and was 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA … Has struck out 20 in 20 innings of work … Prior to a start April 18 where he was charged with five earned runs and couldn't make it out of the first inning, he had made 10 quality starts in a row dating back to last year. • Eric Surkamp (2006-08), LHP, Oakland Athletics: The lefty was 0-2 with a 5.59 ERA through his first four starts for the Oakland A's … Was sent down to Triple-A Nashville on April 25. NBA Player Updates Final • Lorenzo Brown (Played at NC State from 2011-13), G, Detroit Pistons: Joined the 23-59 Phoenix Suns in January and played in eight games on a pair of 10-day contracts … Averaged 7.6 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.4 assists and 0.9 rebounds per game … Then signed a 10-day contract with the Pistons, who finished 44-38 and were the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Confer- ence playoffs … Although he has not appeared in any games during that stint, the club signed him to another deal that would last the remainder of the year, including the postseason. • J.J. Hickson (2008), C/F, Washington Wiz- ards: After his contract was bought out by the 33-49 ■ PACK PROS Former Pack Infielder Trea Turner Working To Return To Majors Turner continues to impress the Washington Nationals organization while playing for its Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse. PHOTO BY RICK NELSON