by Alex Restrepo
LSU Sports Information
LSU softball pitcher Emily Turner has had to deal with high expectations her entire life. Turner thought she would be a soccer player and her dad thought her 5-11 frame would allow her to dominate on the basketball court. Entering her junior year of high school, Turner needed to figure out what sport was best for her.
“With softball and being a pitcher, on the mound I control the tempo of the game,” Turner said. “The game is in my hands. Having the ball in my hand every pitch is great.”
Four years later, she is now in the top five of several LSU records, proving that she made the right choice.
California Dreams
California is called the “land of golden opportunities.” After a very impressive high school campaign in the Golden State, Turner thought her best opportunity would be elsewhere.
“Everything is incredibly fast paced in California and the people are self-absorbed,” Turner explained. “If I stayed there, people wouldn’t know who I was. I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a name for myself.”
Turner was highly recruited across the nation. When Turner took her trip to LSU, the LSU coaching staff took her on a tour of the city and the campus. Southern hospitality was the first thing that caught her eye.
“I immediately fell in love with the coaching staff,” she said. “They were very welcoming and it’s a very family oriented environment and I knew this environment was best for me.”
Now in her junior year, Turner has become very close to her coaches and teammates. She said the bonds she has formed with her team make it easier for her because her parents are 1,700 miles away in San Diego.
“All my Louisiana teammates have huge families and they take me in,” Turner said. “I am kind of like the adopted daughter of many families because my parents can’t make a lot of games.”
Under Pressure
In Turner’s freshman season, she had Women’s College World Series MVP Kristin Schmidt, to look up to. Turner appreciated Schmidt’s advice and also the pressure that Schmidt helped to relieve her from. Turner said that not being the No. 1 pitcher and having the focus on Schmidt made it easier on the mound.
“I came in and I didn’t have these high expectations or a lot of pressure on me because there was already a great pitcher Kristin Schmidt here who made a name for herself,” Turner commented. “So with her playing so well I didn’t have to be an All-American.”
With the spotlight on Schmidt, Turner was able to better focus on the mound. In 28 appearances, she pitched her way to an 18-5 record and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
In her sophomore campaign, Schmidt was gone and now the pressure was on Turner to be the No. 1 pitcher. Turner compiled a 17-16 record and earned second-team All-SEC honors. Even with the honors, Turner believed the pressure and lack of experience didn’t allow her to reach her potential.
“I didn’t have the experience I needed and that hurt me in a way,” Turner said. “Because there was a lot of pressure on me and I felt this burden of winning all the time to impress everyone and live up to their expectations. I think all the pressure really hurt my game and I was determined in my junior year to play better.”
Setting the Bar High
At the end of her sophomore season Turner felt worn out. She started a more rigid training program. Turner increased her conditioning and weightlifting heading into her junior season.
“Toward the end of the season I really needed to rest my arm,” she said. “Because I was the workhorse for the team by pitching a lot of games, it took a toll on my body. I don’t want to say I relaxed, because I never relax, but I was just cautious with it.”
Increasing her strength also boosted Turner’s confidence.
“I worked harder and I don’t think as much on the mound,” Turner said. “I am incredibly confident in all my pitches and I feel I can strike out any batter I face. I feel like if I am at the top of my game I can dominate.”
Turner showed her dominating form when the Tigers traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a series against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama entered the series as the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, holding a 13-game-winning streak and a perfect 15-0 record in the SEC.
Turner knew going into the series it would be a hostile atmosphere and prepared herself for it.
Turner earned the complete game, 2-1, win in the first game allowing only one run on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts, including two crucial K’s in the bottom of the seventh inning. As big as the win was for the Tigers, Turner thought she would need to perform better if they wanted to take the series.
“I didn’t feel like I had everything,” Turner said. “I felt like I was able to control their hitters but I didn’t overpower them.”
In the rubber match against Alabama, LSU head coach Yvette Girouard called on Turner for the series finale.
In the third game, LSU went into the bottom of the seventh inning with just a one run lead. With 1,500 opposing fans cheering against her, Turner retired the Crimson Tide in order to wrap up the series for the Tigers.
“Three days after that series, I was still stressed and had butterflies in my stomach,” Turner explained. “I felt I really grew as a pitcher that weekend because for those two games I was in the zone.”
After the dramatic series, Turner was chosen USA Softball National Player of the Week. Turner quickly realized how winning such an honor increases her expectations.
“After I got National Player of the Week, I lost to Arkansas,” she said. “I can’t do that. I feel like if I win National Player of the Week I should be able to pitch a no-hitter against the next team I play.”
Turner said the reason that she sets such high goals for herself is because she feels that she always has something to prove.
“I never settle. After the Alabama series, coach Giroard complimented me on how well I played,” she said. “But in my mind I could have played a lot better. I still don’t think I am at the top of the game ? far from it.”
Frightening words for future LSU opponents.