Photo by: Cole Stipovich
Nine Innings with Zachary Turner
2/21/2013 8:07:00 AM | Baseball
SAN FRANCISCO – USF junior Zachary Turner is off to a torrid start with the Dons, batting .500 (8-16) with a home run and 6 RBI four games into the season. Turner, a transfer from Canada College, sat down to discuss staying home to play college baseball, his family and the impact USF baseball has had on him.
Q: How did you end up at USF?
A: “Out of high school I remember introducing myself to Coach Moore at a showcase event, and thinking how cool it would be to play USF baseball. It didn't happen out of high school, and I went to junior college and did pretty well there and then decided to go to Pepperdine where I got injured and came back to junior college. My coach actually called Coach Nakamura to see if the program was interested in me, and we met a few times and I came here.”
Q: What's it been like playing with your high school teammate, Justin Maffei?
A: “It's been awesome; all throughout high school and before that I knew of him. He was that guy on the field you remembered. I don't know if he knew me, but I knew him. I knew he was going to Serra, that he was super-talented and that I would have a chance to play with him. He just goes about things the right way and he's a great friend and a great teammate. We had a pretty close-knit team at Serra that won WCAL and CCS titles, there were a bunch of guys who are playing D-I or are in the pros.”
Q: What impact has Head Coach Nino Giarratano had on you?
A: “Working with Coach G has been the best thing that has happened in my time in baseball. Out of everything I've learned hitting-wise, Coach G has given me the most. I knew his resume coming in, and I feel like I put my hands down, put everything in the past, and I've tried to listen to every bit of knowledge he's given me and tried to run with it. The way he communicates, he's so knowledgeable that he can afford to be relaxed and calm when he's delivering his message.”
Q: Talk about the first home run you hit as a Don.
A: “It felt good. I was just trying to stay above it and honestly it was a mistake. I'm just trying to hit a line drive in that situation and we were trying to get the bats moving. Miller had just doubled in front of me and I was trying to get him over to third, string some quality at-bats together. He left a slider up and it just happened.”
Q: What's it like to be engaged?
A: “My fiancé, Hailey is awesome, she supports me through everything. She has to deal with me when I have bad days, but she's there for the good ones too. She loves all the guys on the team and they all love her. She always brings brownies and baked goodies up and she's just awesome to have her around. We met in high school when I was 15 and started going out when I was 16.”
Q: What do you hope to do after baseball?
A: “I hope to find a career in the Bay Area. I've already started a business in San Carlos that runs summer camps for baseball, softball and volleyball (turnersports650.com). The entrepreneurial part is something I've always dreamt about; it's fun to find business ideas and run with it. A lot of people are scared to start their own business, but I love the challenge.”
Q: What's it like growing up with parents who are a dentist and a periodontist?
A: “The other day Justin Maffei and I were in my car and he saw some floss in my center console and he said 'only you.' My grandfather was a really successful dentist, my uncle on my mom's side is a dentist so there's a lot of pressure there to get into that field, which isn't a huge interest to me. My sister, Lauren, just graduated from hygienist school, so hopefully that takes some of the pressure off of me.”
Q: Talk about your siblings.
A: “Lauren, my oldest sister, was always a great role model. She always got great grades and did everything right. My older brother, Kenny, was the biggest role model for me because of how he played the game. He was a little smaller, and played baseball at Hawaii Pacific where he hit .420 as a senior, and I've never seen anyone with better hands at short. That emotion that he taught me how to play with, that Coach G is trying to harness, is what made me want to succeed so badly. My little sister, Carly, is extremely intelligent and she's got a lot of scholarship offers for academics, which I can't fathom because without sports I don't know what I'd be doing.”
Q: How did you become a catcher?
A: “At Canada I was a starting pitcher. I would start a game, catch a game and then play third the next day. I wasn't really good at any of them until that year when I learned how to play them at the college level. Having that pitchers mindset behind the plate is helpful. Coach Moore has mentioned that he likes how I call games, which I did in junior college. I feel like I have that connection with pitchers.”
Q: How did you end up at USF?
A: “Out of high school I remember introducing myself to Coach Moore at a showcase event, and thinking how cool it would be to play USF baseball. It didn't happen out of high school, and I went to junior college and did pretty well there and then decided to go to Pepperdine where I got injured and came back to junior college. My coach actually called Coach Nakamura to see if the program was interested in me, and we met a few times and I came here.”
Q: What's it been like playing with your high school teammate, Justin Maffei?
A: “It's been awesome; all throughout high school and before that I knew of him. He was that guy on the field you remembered. I don't know if he knew me, but I knew him. I knew he was going to Serra, that he was super-talented and that I would have a chance to play with him. He just goes about things the right way and he's a great friend and a great teammate. We had a pretty close-knit team at Serra that won WCAL and CCS titles, there were a bunch of guys who are playing D-I or are in the pros.”
Q: What impact has Head Coach Nino Giarratano had on you?
A: “Working with Coach G has been the best thing that has happened in my time in baseball. Out of everything I've learned hitting-wise, Coach G has given me the most. I knew his resume coming in, and I feel like I put my hands down, put everything in the past, and I've tried to listen to every bit of knowledge he's given me and tried to run with it. The way he communicates, he's so knowledgeable that he can afford to be relaxed and calm when he's delivering his message.”
Q: Talk about the first home run you hit as a Don.
A: “It felt good. I was just trying to stay above it and honestly it was a mistake. I'm just trying to hit a line drive in that situation and we were trying to get the bats moving. Miller had just doubled in front of me and I was trying to get him over to third, string some quality at-bats together. He left a slider up and it just happened.”
Q: What's it like to be engaged?
A: “My fiancé, Hailey is awesome, she supports me through everything. She has to deal with me when I have bad days, but she's there for the good ones too. She loves all the guys on the team and they all love her. She always brings brownies and baked goodies up and she's just awesome to have her around. We met in high school when I was 15 and started going out when I was 16.”
Q: What do you hope to do after baseball?
A: “I hope to find a career in the Bay Area. I've already started a business in San Carlos that runs summer camps for baseball, softball and volleyball (turnersports650.com). The entrepreneurial part is something I've always dreamt about; it's fun to find business ideas and run with it. A lot of people are scared to start their own business, but I love the challenge.”
Q: What's it like growing up with parents who are a dentist and a periodontist?
A: “The other day Justin Maffei and I were in my car and he saw some floss in my center console and he said 'only you.' My grandfather was a really successful dentist, my uncle on my mom's side is a dentist so there's a lot of pressure there to get into that field, which isn't a huge interest to me. My sister, Lauren, just graduated from hygienist school, so hopefully that takes some of the pressure off of me.”
Q: Talk about your siblings.
A: “Lauren, my oldest sister, was always a great role model. She always got great grades and did everything right. My older brother, Kenny, was the biggest role model for me because of how he played the game. He was a little smaller, and played baseball at Hawaii Pacific where he hit .420 as a senior, and I've never seen anyone with better hands at short. That emotion that he taught me how to play with, that Coach G is trying to harness, is what made me want to succeed so badly. My little sister, Carly, is extremely intelligent and she's got a lot of scholarship offers for academics, which I can't fathom because without sports I don't know what I'd be doing.”
Q: How did you become a catcher?
A: “At Canada I was a starting pitcher. I would start a game, catch a game and then play third the next day. I wasn't really good at any of them until that year when I learned how to play them at the college level. Having that pitchers mindset behind the plate is helpful. Coach Moore has mentioned that he likes how I call games, which I did in junior college. I feel like I have that connection with pitchers.”
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