Sabrina Turner
2015 Grad Shows Off Writing Skills at Disney Softball Event
NSR standout softball prospect, Sabrina Turner, from Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg, MS, was recently selected to be the player blogger for the 2011 ESPN Rise Girls Showcase and the Fast Pitch ASA National Qualifier at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Kissimmee, FL. And, not only did the the 5’9″ rising freshman pitcher whgo carries a 4.3 GPA do an impressive job reporting her experiences at the event, she also managed to become one of the tournament’s legitimate stars.
Sabrina plays travel ball with Alabama Elite and head coach P.J. Gallardo. The team entered the event to secure a berth to the ASA Nationals scheduled for July 31-Aug. 7 in Midland, TX. P.J. was contacted by Susie Arth from ESPN Rise and asked the coach to nominate one player for the softball blogger consideration. He chose Sabrina. Arth contacted other teams and asked for nominations and qualifications from each as well. Shortly thereafter, Sabrina received a phone call from ESPN letting her know that Sabrina had been selected. She was not compensated for her work.
Sabrina wrote about her experiences preparing for the Disney tournament and during the tournament. She was the only blogger for fast pitch softball at the RISE showcase. Coincidentally, out of the three bloggers selected to cover the event, Sabrina’s team was the only which advanced to the championship game. And, her team won the tournament with wins over Future Rebels (9-0), Florida Sharks (5-4), Central Florida Sting (5-3), Team Miken (1-0) and Gainesville Gold (5-4). She wrote her blog entries without a mentoring from ESPN. Her entries are still posted on the ESPN website. She had great fun doing it and, as icing on the cake, she was even interviewed by ESPN after the championship game.
However, the greatest honor from the event was delivered to her after Sabrina and her family arrived back home. She was named one of the top twelve stars of the tournament. There were 15,000 female athletes at the showcase from a variety of sports including basketball, softball and gymnastics. For the tournament, Sabrina had three wins in the circle. including the semi-final game and the championship game, and she batted .467 for the tournament as a lead-off hitter. When she was not pitching, Sabrina played third base or shortstop.
Sabrina will be a freshman at Presbyterian Christian School in Hattiesburg, MS this fall. She enters high school with a 4.33 GPA. In softball, she is the sole pitcher for the varsity softball team. Last season, they won the MAIS AAA State Championship. Sabrina pitched every game in South State and the State Championship games. Overall, she ended the year with an impressive record of 22 and 6. Additionally, she led the team in batting average (.484), hits and stolen bases. She was named to the All-State Tournament Team, the All-South State Tournament Team and the All-District Tournament Team, all as an eighth grader.
Sabrina’s NSR scout is Paul Hux, Central Mississippi Area Director.
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