'It’s inspiring': CVC's Kelan Turner overcomes injuries to shine on baseball diamond
Kelan Turner has persevered this school year.
During the football season, in the third game of the 2023 campaign, the Central Valley Christian high school junior broke his left hand making a routine tackle in the first quarter.
Then against Mission Oak, while playing with a club over his cast two games later, Turner broke his other hand, again, tackling.
With two broken hands, Turner was sidelined for six weeks but returned at defensive end in the playoffs to help the Cavaliers win a Central Section Division II title and a CIF State Division 2-AA championship.
“I just had trust in the process,” Turner said. “I knew whatever happens, happens. It’s all part of God’s plan for me, you know, and I just had trust in it.”
Turner had a breakout junior football season in his first year as a starter, registering 36 tackles, a fumble recovery and one sack in 10 games.
CVC became the first team in Visalia history to win a state championship in football and also set a new city record for most wins in a single season with 15 victories.
“It was great,” Turner said “Making it that far, I was able to get a full 10-game season even though I missed a whole six weeks. It was a great feeling.”
In the state championship game’s final minutes in December, Turner was again hit by the injury bug.
This time, he dislocated his ankle.
With baseball on the horizon, Turner never lost focus, despite having to wear a boot for six weeks.
Through hard work, dedication and a commitment to physical therapy, Turner worked his way back and was in the lineup as a designated hitter exactly two months later on Feb. 9 in the Cavaliers’ 5-1 win over Chowchilla.
Turner had his first RBI of the season in a 10-1 victory over Taft on Feb. 17 and hit his stride a week later in a 4-0 shutout win versus Immanuel when he went 2-for-3 hitting with a double and run scored while also starting at first base.
“It was pretty awesome,” Turner said. “Baseball’s my first sport and I love to do it. Thinking you might not do it is not fun but the fact that I was able to play again is a great feeling.”
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Turner was a member of the 2019 Visalia Blue All-Star team that captured the 12-and-under Major/60 Cal Ripken World Series championship.
Today, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Turner is one of CVC’s top hitters, batting .293 with 17 hits, 12 runs and 13 RBIs as the Cavaliers’ cleanup hitter. He leads the team with seven extra-base hits (five doubles, two triples) and walks (14).
In 78 plate appearances, Turner has struck out only seven times.
Turner has played a starring role in the Cavaliers’ run to a 17-8 record this season.
Under the leadership of sixth-year head coach Shane Marshall, CVC’s 17 victories this year are the most in the program since the 2016-17 campaign when the Cavaliers went 23-8 and reached the Central Section Division V championship game.
“The point of sports at the end of the day is to develop character, develop young men that are able to overcome adversity, and so, nothing provides adversity more than dealing with physical pain and physical injury, and for Kelan to persevere through that, come back early in the year in January when he was unable to do anything with his foot, see him be a good teammate and get ready to go is awesome,” Marshall said. “When he finally got cleared, when he finally got the opportunity, he jumped right into things, right into our four-hole, the meat of our order, a leader of the lineup. It’s inspiring to the guys to see someone go through that."
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Tulare County Cream of the Crop Power Rankings
Here is one view of the top five baseball/softball teams in Tulare County (records are as of April 30):
Baseball
1. Redwood (19-5): The Rangers have won seven straight games and are the East Yosemite League standings leader.
2. Tulare Western (13-13): The Mustangs are tied atop the West Yosemite League standings with Lemoore.
3. Central Valley Christian (17-8): Zach Simmon, a junior pitcher, leads the Cavaliers with 71 strikeouts.
4. Porterville (13-5): The Panthers have won 10 of their past 11 games.
5. Exeter (19-6): The Monarchs are on a five-game win streak.
Softball
1. Tulare Union (17-4-2): The Tribe sit atop the WYL standings with a 7-0 mark.
2. Redwood (14-9-2): The Rangers have hit 14 home runs this season.
3. El Diamante (15-8): The Miners have won five of their past six contests.
4. Mission Oak (17-6): The Hawks are on a four-game winning streak.
5. Monache (13-12): The Marauders are winners of four straight.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 'It’s inspiring': CVC's Kelan Turner overcomes injuries to shine
