On June 28, the National College Baseball Hall of Fame awarded the Brooks Wallace Award to former N.C. State shortstop Trea Turner, honoring Turner as the best shortstop in college baseball during the 2014 season. With the honor, Turner became the first member of the Wolfpack to ever receive the award.
The Brooks Wallace Award was created in 2004 to honor former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace. In 1985, Wallace lost his battle with leukemia at age 27. The award was given annually to the nation’s most outstanding player, but was changed to include only shortstops in 2009.
Turner, a three-year starter for the Pack, was a finalist for the Wallace Award in 2013, but fell short to Alex Bregman of Louisiana State. This season, however, the former Wolfpacker beat out Vince Conde of Vanderbilt and Blake Trahan of Louisiana-Lafayette to take home the award.
During his junior season, Turner recorded eight home runs and 36 RBIs with a .321 batting average. His outstanding play also warranted a first-round draft pick, as the San Diego Padres selected the Lake Worth, Fla., native with the 13th overall pick.
In just three years, Turner claimed the school record for stolen bases with 117. His 57 as a freshman was the best ever by a first-year State player. The junior ended his career fourth all-time in ACC history for stolen bases, and shares the single-game conference record with five stolen bags in one contest.
Turner now plays for the Eugene Emeralds, a Class A short-season affiliate for the Padres. In 20 games, Turner has recorded 16 hits with a .205 batting average.