Turner’s time: catcher shines on all levels in Oklahoma

STILLWATER, Okla. — Whether or not College of Arkansas catcher Michael Turner was on the plate or behind it on the NCAA Stillwater Regional, he made massive performs.

The left-handed hitting Turner batted .444 (8 for 18), drove in 11 runs, scored 5 instances and even stole his first base of the season taking part in 4 video games on the regional.

Defensively, Turner threw out two gamers making an attempt to steal second base and picked off one other at first base.

Turner’s all-around play earned him most excellent participant of the regional honors voted on by members of the media after the Razorbacks beat Oklahoma State 7-3 on Monday evening to advance to a brilliant regional matchup at North Carolina.

Arkansas (41-19) opens the best-of-three sequence at North Carolina (42-20) at 10 a.m. Central on Saturday with the winner advancing to the School World Sequence.

“It’s unbelievable,” Razorbacks Coach Dave Van Horn stated of Turner’s efficiency on the regional. “Man, I imply, that’s a tricky place again there within the warmth — catching, throwing and sweating and grinding and calling pitches.

“It may be slightly demanding. After which making an attempt to hit. That takes a tricky particular person to do what he does.

“I’ve at all times stated catching is the very best place on the sector. You’re the one one going through the entire area and also you’re concerned in each play. You’ve received to have particular folks again there in the event you’re going to have a very good crew.”

Turner, a fifth-year senior, transferred to Arkansas after taking part in 4 seasons at Kent State.

The Stillwater Regional was the primary time Turner had performed within the NCAA Event. Now he’s two victories away from the School World Sequence.

“It’s cool,” Turner stated. “I’d by no means have been on this state of affairs a pair years in the past. So I’m tremendous enthusiastic about it and simply making an attempt to do every thing I can to assist the crew win.”

Turner’s two-out, two-run double pulled all the way down to proper area within the eighth inning in Monday evening’s sport off Oklahoma State All-American pitcher Justin Campbell pushed Arkansas’ result in 7-3.

Campbell, the Cowboys’ No. 1 starter who threw 5 innings and allowed 5 runs and seven hits within the Razorbacks’ 20-12 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday evening, pitched the ultimate 2 innings Monday evening.

Van Horn stated Campbell stored throwing change-ups to Arkansas’ left-handed hitters, and he struck out Robert Moore and Peyton Stovall within the eighth inning and Zack Gregory and Brady Slavens within the ninth earlier than Turner’s double.

“We instructed them, ‘Simply sit tender. If he throws a fastball, simply hope it doesn’t hit you. Search for a breaking ball or a change-up. Comfortable,’ ” Van Horn stated. “Michael was actually the one lefty that caught with the plan, and eventually after the fastball that was in that they complained [was a strike], he was simply sitting on one thing tender, and he received it, and he hooked it down the road.”

Turner made it sound easy.

“Simply making an attempt to have enjoyable, put a very good swing on a dangling changeup,” he stated. “That was all.”

Oklahoma State had two runners on base with one out within the fourth inning when Turner picked Caeden Trenkle off first base.

The pickoff got here after a pitching change and assembly on the mound with Kole Ramage changing starter Zack Morris.

After Ramage’s first pitch, Turner fired the ball to first baseman Peyton Stovall, who tagged out Trenkle.

“After I went out to the mound to make a change, that was all Michael,” Van Horn stated of the pickoff play. “Kole was operating in, [Turner] begins speaking to Stovall and me. He says, ‘He’s getting an enormous lead, I feel we are able to choose him off.’

“And the one factor that I stated was what I need Stovall to do is we’re going to cheat slightly bit, and because the pitch is being delivered you’re going to have to start out shifting that approach. He hits it within the gap, then he will get us.

“I imply, that was all Michael Turner. … He noticed that we had an opportunity to do it. That was an enormous play within the sport. That was a momentum killer proper there. That’s what you need behind the plate.”

After the pickoff, Ramage struck out Chase Adkinson to finish the inning.

“That further out is big to get to 2 outs as a result of you already know that you would be able to get a strikeout to get out of it,” Ramage stated. “You will get a pop up, get a floor ball. You will get something.

“Simply realizing that we’ve received a man again there that may make performs and get me an additional out once I’m on the mound is actually good to have at the back of my thoughts.

“Getting that second out is big-time. It calms the state of affairs down slightly. It takes the stress off. Simply realizing that I’ve received to get the man out on the plate.”

Turner stated that two pitches earlier than Ramage got here into the sport, he noticed that Trenkle was getting an enormous lead. The timing of the pitching change labored out nicely, Turner added, as a result of he wished to speak to Stovall.

“However I didn’t need everybody to know what was happening,” Turner stated. “We simply mentioned it proper there [on the mound], and I instructed Kole, ‘We’re going to go exterior fastball proper right here’ as a result of it was a righty up.

“He put it in an ideal spot, and it was a bang-bang play.”

Turner has raised his batting common to .310 through the regional. He has hit 9 house runs and 15 doubles with 48 RBI to go together with a .994 fielding share.

“All I’ve received to say is I’m actually glad he’s on our crew,” Ramage stated. “That’s all.”