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Nicole Turner continued to play softball in high school because she loved the highlights and seeing her name in the newspaper. Those highlights keep piling up in her first season playing college softball.
Turner, a 2014 Wyoming Area graduate, is throwing up some impressive numbers as a freshman on King’s College’s softball squad.
“It’s the excitement of throwing someone out at second,” she said. “Every time you get that one good hit or one good throw, it’s worth it.”
Through the first half of the Monarchs’ season, Turner is hitting .419, which is second on the team. She’s driven in nine runs and has a team-leading six doubles. She’s slugging a blistering .613. Turner has struck out just three times all season.
Turner has two hits in each of her last three games through April 8. She’s driven in five runs in that span with four doubles.
“It’s been really good and exciting,” Turner said of her first year playing college softball. “It’s just exciting to be on the field every day.”
King’s is coached by Pittston native Lisa Gigliello. In March 2013, Gigliello won her 500th game at the helm for King’s. Gigliello took over as the Monarchs’ coach in 1994 and transformed King’s into one of the premiere softball programs in the area.
The coach has led the Monarchs to the postseason tournament every year since 1999. Entering the 2015 season, Gigliello has a career head coaching mark at King’s of 539-251-2.
With players like Turner, she’s certainly got a chance to add to that number. Gigliello is impressed with the way Turner has came into the spring season at full speed.
“She’s made tremendous improvements since she got here,” Gigliello said. “Her swing is very efficient and she’s getting a lot of good swings in. I think it’s all part of her attitude. She embraces every type of attitude.”
Turner’s biggest focus this season has been seeing the ball well. Through the first several games, she’s done that. She said her focused has turned to the strike zone during her at-bats.
The transition from high school to college softball is always a tough one. Games are faster, Turner said. But the hardest part has been her catching.
Although Turner plays infield some games, her main position is behind the plate.
“These girls are so much faster than high school,” Turner said. “I have to be ready for them to steal on every pitch. It’s not like high school. You have to be ready for anything.”
Since the team plays mostly double headers, Turner usually catches the first game and plays third base in the second game.
Catching college pitches is also a difficult task, Turner said. In high school, past balls are common. But according to Turner, they can’t happen at this level.
“They have more movement on the ball,” she said. “You have to be ready for that. It’s been a challenge to block everything. That’s what they’re waiting for.”
Gigliello thinks Turner is doing a solid job behind the plate.
“She’s doing a great job with our pitchers,” Gigliello said. “She’s already thrown out a whole bunch of runners.”
According to Gigliello, this has been one of the toughest seasons of her 22 years coaching the Monarchs. King’s lost all of last year’s starters to graduation. The team sits at 4-8 through April 8.
“While we do have talent again, we just need the experience,” Gigliello said.
Playing for Gigliello has been a privilege, Turner said. She knows the veteran coach will get the inexperience team going in the right direction.
“I love playing for her because she is always trying to motivate us to win,” Turner said. “That rubbing off on us makes us want to win more and push us to do better. Everything she says we really listen to. She’s always making us better players.”
Turner is the daughter of John and Mona Turner, West Pittston. She’s studying elementary and special education.