The Road Less Traveled

Sean Turner's dream of playing pro baseball has taken him from Stanford to Penn to?? New York, NY He knows what he wants -- to play professional baseball. He's known that almost his entire life. And now he's one step away from getting there. Born into a baseball family -- his father played in the Chicago White Sox organization and his mother used to baby-sit for the children of opposing players -- Turner got his start in the sport so long ago he can't even remember when it happened. "Everything was related to baseball, baseball, baseball," he said. "I was really pushed to play baseball." But the young Turner was also interested in basketball and football. He tried playing hoops as a freshman at Crete-Monee (Ill.) High School, but his father made him quit following a late-season ankle injury. After a lot of convincing, Turner's father let Sean strap on the pads and play football during his senior year. But the center of his life has always been the baseball diamond. "I like being on the field and entertaining the fans," Turner said. "It's just that feeling when I go out on the field and hear the ball hit the bat and the glove." And baseball has served Turner well. A shortstop in high school, he grabbed all-state honors once and all-area accolades three times. He was recruited extensively by such powerhouse schools as Georgia Tech, Arizona and Notre Dame. But Turner chose Stanford, enrolling in an engineering program. Following a time trial, the Cardinal coaches converted the speedy Turner into an outfielder. However, it proved difficult for the Turner to get many at bats playing behind Jeffrey Hammonds, the 1990 NCAA Freshman of the Year. Hammonds would go on to be the fourth overall pick in the 1992 major league draft. He currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles. Turner lasted only two years at Stanford, most of which he spent on the bench. Following a freshman season in which he red-shirted, Turner and a group of other Stanford players went to coach Mike Marquess to demand more playing time. But Marquess would not guarantee them increased roles, and Turner began to consider finishing his collegiate career elsewhere. His first thought was to transfer to one of the nationally-ranked programs that had recruited him out of high school. However, the combined lure of Wharton and a chance to start for a solid baseball team convinced him to become a Quaker. "Stanford was the best place for baseball and academics, but I wanted to start, and I thought I should start," Turner said. "It was an athletic decision to transfer away from Stanford. There were academic reasons to choose Penn." Quakers coach Bob Seddon had recruited Turner out of high school, but lost out to the Cardinal. When Turner called to express interest in transferring, Seddon was not about to let him get away again. Seddon was at Philadelphia International Airport to greet Turner when he arrived. "He's a major cog here," Seddon said. "He is very athletic and durable. He has a lot to do with our success." Turner plays with the self-confidence of someone used to being a star. He finished second on the team in batting average, behind co-captain Mike Shannon. He also ended the season among the Ivy League leaders in hits and doubles. After beginning the season in the No. 5 slot in the batting order, Turner moved to the cleanup spot. According to Seddon, the Quakers' offense has benefitted greatly from the move. And Turner's his irrepressible faith has proved infectious. "He's always got confidence in everyone," Penn sophomore catcher Dave Corleto said. "He's the first to point it out when you do something good. That confidence is spreading through the whole team because we're winning." While the co-Gehrig Divsion champion Quakers cannot compare with the 1992 Stanford squad that had no less than 14 players drafted, Turner has no regrets about his decision to transfer. After two years of nearly daily practices and studying in hotel rooms on weekend trips, Turner is happy to spread a little of his hard-won self-reliance skills to his Penn teammates. "The players [at Stanford] were really confident," Turner said. "They knew they were the best. I don't think the players here enjoy the game as much as they should. They don't realize how good they are and just go out to play and have as much fun as they can." Turner has tried to enjoy himself as much as he can on the baseball field, while also influencing younger players, like Hammonds did for him at Stanford. From helping sophomore second baseman Joe Carlon adjust to hitting in the leadoff spot to picking up sophomore pitcher Todd Mahoney's spirits, Turner has been a role model for the up-and-coming Quakers. "He is a very good motivator for younger kids," said Scott Turner, Sean's younger brother, who currently plays first base at Crete-Monee. "He brings a lot of excitement to the game. If he wants something, he'll go out and do what it takes to get it." While Turner admits getting noticed by major league scouts will be more difficult coming from the Ivy League than it would have been coming out of Stanford, his goal remains the same. His schedule has just changed a little bit. "Things didn't work out the way I wanted them," Turner said. "Coming out of high school I imagined I would have been at Stanford for three or four years. Then I would have been drafted. I would be playing with some of my friends in the minor leagues right now. I still have a chance to do that." After a year on the Stanford bench, an injury-plagued sophomore season at Penn and trips through two college programs, Turner still has confidence. Some things will never change.

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