Marissa Milham
mcm011@marietta.edu
Imagine summer nights at the baseball diamond. The smell of the popcorn, the music played throughout the concourse, and kids cheering for their favorite players. From Pioneer Park to playing in the Frontier League, this is what former Etta Express outfielder Turner Hill will be experiencing all summer. Hill will be taking his baseball career to the next level playing for the Washington Wild Things in Washington, Pennsylvania, but how did he get to where he is today?
Before Hill’s time at Marietta he played for Malone University where he earned a variety of different awards and started in 46 of 48 games. He earned the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year award along with being named to the Second Team in The All-Great Midwest Conference. While being at Malone University he had a batting average of .340. After three years playing at Malone University he would return home to Marietta, Ohio and play for Coach Brian Brewer.
Hill was a vital player for the Etta Express in his senior season when the team would reach the DIII World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hill would tally up the stats with 51 RBI, 19 doubles, a homerun, and a triple. Along with this stat line, Hill would steal 33 of 40 bags for the season. During his time in Marietta he would earn multiple awards including All-American pre-season honors, All-Region for ABCA and d3baseball.com, OAC Player of the Year, All-OAC First Team, and All-American Third Team for ABCA and Fourth Team for d3baseball.com. After graduation he would translate all his experience on the diamond into once again another team. This time he would head to the West Virginia Black Bears, which is in the collegiate summer baseball league, and part of the MLB Draft League.
Turner translated his play from The Etta Express and would win the batting crown hitting .391 in a total of 37 games with the next closest person hitting .349. He would keep rising to the occasion by scoring 38 total runs while capturing a home run, two triples, and nine doubles. The base stealing game also was noticeable from others as well with Turner stealing 14 of 18 bases for the season.
With the seasons that Turner had in college and then translating his game to the summer collegiate baseball league he was able to be noticed by The Washington Wild Things.
Turner is a young kid who is very interesting. If you look at his numbers and what he did in the MLB draft league, especially the second half of the season last summer, he was pretty dominant at the plate offensively… It’s important to find good young rookies like Turner Hill, with his ability to get on base and make things happen – Washington Wild Things Manager Tom Vaeth
The future is bright for former Etta Express Turner Hill. The hard work of Hill has allowed him to bring his dream into a reality. From a small town baseball player to now a player with an independent baseball team, he will continue to live out his dream in Washington, Pennsylvania. The Washington Wild Things begin the season Friday May 12, 2023 at historical Bosse Field, home of the Evansville Otters. First Pitch is scheduled for 7:35PM.
