Owasso’s Turner led Rams to perfect season, another title

accomplished this season, baseball’s different. You going 36-0, wrapping up always have to be ready to go.”the season with a win over Norman North to give Turner is The OklaTurner his 10th state title homan’s All-State Coach as a coach. of the Year.

“Just the task of being The catcher on Owasable to run the table is so’s 1973 state championpretty unbelievable,” ship baseball team has won Turner said. “To be able to 969 games in his 31 years get up for every game as the Rams’ head coach. without a letdown. In Owasso has gone to the football, you play once a state tournament 16 of the week on Friday and baslast 17 years and made the ketball you play maybe finals 15 of 17 years. twice in a typical week, but “I think one of the se-

Even a month later, Larry Turner can hardly believe it.

Turner has had plenty of special teams during his more than 3 years as Owasso’s baseball coach.

But never had he — or any other Class 6A coach — taken a team to an undefeated season.

That’s what the Rams crets of our success is our players, most of the time, are better people than they are players,” Rams assistant Steve Holleman said. “They still have a bit of swagger but they stay humble. The mindset we try to teach them is it’s better to humble yourselves than to have somebody else humble you.”

Those lessons made an impression on Rams first baseman Austin O’Brien, one of two Owasso players on The Oklahoman’s State team.

“There’s a big emphasis on chemistry with this team,” O’Brien said. “Coach Turner took us zip-lining together, set up movies for us to watch and different things to bring us together off the field as well as on it.

“Before I started playing for Coach Turner, he might’ve seemed kind of mean, but he’s a great guy. He loves all his players and

All- would do anything for any of them.”

Another thing Holleman appreciates about Turner is his trust in his assistants.

“That’s the key. You want to surround yourself with good people and let them coach,” Turner said. “I tell my pitching coach, ‘You go do what pitchers do and as long as they perform, I’m happy.’ ”