Nathan Lombardo is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student covering high school sports for AZPreps365.

CHANDLER, ARIZ – Oregon State sophomore Gavin Turley has been opening eyes around the baseball world since he stepped foot on the diamond. 

Whether it was his outgoing personality or the fact that he’s been hitting home runs in Major League Baseball stadiums since he was 15-years-old - fans have been emphasizing Turley’s importance to the game for a while.

Baseball has been a family tradition throughout the Turley household since he opened his eyes for the first time.

But it started in Utah, before Turley made the move to Arizona to improve his chances of not only winning, but being under the spotlight of the media and scouts.

The 2022 high school graduate grew up in Utah, but then made the transition to Chandler, Arizona for his high school years. Turley attended a historic program in Hamilton, which has produced players such as Cody Bellinger and many more phenoms who would go on to play Major League Baseball.

UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, and TCU’s Kole Klecker also shared the field with Gavin at Hamilton High School.

Cholowsky, a sensational 2023 high school graduate, who is in his first year at UCLA, is looking to play a huge part in the Bruins 2024 season.

Both Cholowsky and Gavin train with Kelleher while in Arizona. Kelleher went on to point out the importance of Cholowsky and Gavin, not only to him, but for each other as well. 

“Those guys [Cholowsky and Gavin] push each other and wouldn’t be where they are today without those days in the old cage,” Kelleher stated.

Klecker graduated in the same year as Gavin (2022), and is coming off of ten wins in his freshman campaign, which led the Big 12 and was the most by a TCU freshman since Tyler Alexander in 2014.

This was a special team throughout Gavins time at Hamilton. The Huskies went 29-4, winning the 6A AIA State Championship.

The Huskies did indeed have a ridiculous amount of talent, but Gavin went on to point out what really made this team stand out throughout his time there.

“Hamilton is always producing talent, but for us it was the things off the field that made us great. We are genuinely best friends, so when we were on the field, it felt like we were playing much more of just a game,” Gavin stated.

Gavin went on to be the only kid in Perfect Game history to score in the 99th percentile in every category of the 5 tools (running, throwing, fielding, hitting, power), according to Perfect Game.

Whether it was the fact that Gavin was an extremely talented player himself, was surrounded by other phenoms on the diamond, or because of the history behind Hamilton High School baseball. The simple fact of the matter is that Gavin received more recognition and was under a larger spotlight at Hamilton, than he would have in Utah.

Gavin was selected in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of high school, but elected to join the Beavers to improve his skill set and receive an education.

Turley’s father, Jason Turley was an absolute phenom on the baseball field. Jason is a former minor league baseball player, who was drafted in the 21st round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Houston Astros.

With the Astros, he played two seasons in 1995 and 1996.

Not only was his father a standout on the diamond, but Gavin’s older brother, Noah Turley is as well.

Noah is currently a junior at Oklahoma State, who is projected to play a huge role throughout the Cowboys’ 2024 season. Noah spent 2021 at Yavapai Junior College, where he was named a First-Team All-American, then transferred to the University of Arizona for his sophomore campaign.

At Arizona, Noah hit .226 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs, but decided to take his talents elsewhere following the season. This brought him to where he is currently at, in Oklahoma State.

Jason emphasized the importance of Noah throughout Gavin’s childhood, and even up to this point.

“Noah set a good example of what it takes to eat and gain size and I think Gavin saw that and responded,” Jason stated. “ I think the best advice Noah gave was ‘focus on your present and your future will take care of itself.”

Gavin also went on to spotlight the help that Noah has provided him throughout his career on the field.

Gavin stated, “I like to think that it’s two years of experience that I get, to watch him go through and correct my path from the mistakes he’s made.”

Not only did the advice and coaching form Gavin into the player he is today, though.

Gavin has worked tirelessly to earn the accolades he has been awarded thus far. His work ethic and determination has always been second to none, according to Jason.

“When Gavin was very young (6-7) years old, he would wake me up in the morning at 5:00am dressed and ready to go hit. He would set his own alarm and stand next to my bed in the morning,” Jason pointed out. 

He also went on to state, “most kids hit a bucket or two and think it’s a good day. Gavin, even as a young kid, would warm up with a bucket or two and then spend hours and hours in the cage.”

Not only did Jason elaborate on this key trait about Gavin, but his hitting coach, Pat Kelleher attested to this as well, stating, “his ability to focus on the process of improving daily is his greatest attribute….people see the results, but it’s the process and dedication that makes him who he is.”

No matter the circumstance, or where he had to put in work - Gavin was more than willing to find a way day in and day out.

“If you saw my last facility, it wasn’t what you see today. The air conditioning didn’t work all the time and it wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t matter. Gavin was there every single day, sometimes sleeping on the couch,” Kelleher stated.

The work ethic that Gavin has practiced has been off the charts since day one, as any individual with common sense can see. 

How does he not get sick of baseball though, one may ask. According to Jason, Gavin is very much a believer in a lifestyle balance, as he spends just as much time fishing and partaking in other activities he enjoys, as he does working on his craft surrounding baseball.

Whether those various activities may be fishing as mentioned, or even snowmobiling, exploring scenic views, spending time with friends and family, or even opening eyes while playing the piano.

Gavin is coming off of a monstrous freshman season, batting .309 with nine doubles, one triple, and a team-best fourteen home runs. 

The 14 home runs put him in the record books, as a true freshman. The fourteen ties him for the sixth-most in a single season at Oklahoma State.

Gavin was not pleased yet though, as he elected to partake in the Cape Cod League over the summer.

The Cape Cod League is a collegiate summer baseball league, located in Massachusetts. The league has seen over one thousand former players go on to play in the major leagues.

Gavin elaborated on the competitiveness he saw while at the Cape, by stating “getting dominated some at bats and knowing that you have to get up there and give it your all, every at bat was a huge shift for me.”

Scouts have high projection for Gavin going forward.

“If he hits at all, he’ll play in the big leagues,” Brian Sakowski, Perfect Game national scouting supervisor, stated on the Perfect Game Baseball YouTube channel.

Gavin and the Oregon State Beavers open their 2024 season on February 16th against the University of New Mexico.