Freshman Q&A: Demi Turner
1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Alabama Softball welcomes five newcomers to the team this season, so we'll be chatting with all of them this week. Our fifth and final newcomer is Demi Turner from Huntsville, Texas.
When did you start playing softball?
"When I was younger, my parents put me in a lot of sports and I just fell in love with softball. I still played basketball throughout my career so I wouldn't get burned out on softball. When I was about nine or ten years old, I realized I loved the sport so I kept playing and working hard"
What set softball apart from the other sports you were playing?
"I think I just loved the team atmosphere and always having the ability to contribute, not only for myself but for the team."
What was the turning point when you realized playing in college was a real possibility?
"The turning point for me was definitely when I was 12 years old playing on a 16U team with my sister. I noticed colleges were already looking at me and I realized I had a chance to play at a dream school like Alabama. From that point, I started putting in even more work. I always put in a lot of work but that attention motivated me to do even more. It became more fun during that stage too."
What were your top three college choices and what set Alabama apart?
"My top three were Alabama, Texas and LSU. Initially, I verbally committed to Texas as a freshman but, as I got older, I regretted it because I felt like I picked Texas only because it was closer to home. As a freshman, you don't really know what you want and I felt like I would want to be close to home but later I realized that I didn't get the same feeling at Texas that I got at Alabama. The hesitation to be far from home went away the older I got so that's what really made me want to come to Alabama."
When you got to Alabama, what were some of your first impressions?
"The family atmosphere, the coaches and teammates are all great. The girls are all like sisters. They're just perfect. The coaches know so much about the game. I thought I knew a lot but they're making me learn so much more than I ever thought I could learn at this age. The learning never stops and I just love it here."
What was the biggest adjustment off the field?
"I thought classes would be a struggle to be honest. Once I realized that we have tutors available to help, study hall hours and all the help around you, it became easier. If I have questions about homework or papers, my teammates are always willing to help and all my tutors are willing to help and that was huge. It became a lot easier than I expected. Time management just takes care of itself. You learn it as it goes because you have to do it."
How do you think your fall season went?
"I'm the type of person that always wants to do better. I always want to go 4-4 so do I think that I met those expectations? No, not mine. But did I meet my coaches' expectations? Maybe. That's one of the things I've been working on. I try to be too perfect at everything I do and try to be too good too fast. Honestly, I think I had a good fall though."
What are some of your goals heading into this season, both individually and as a team?
"For me, I just want to do anything possible to help the team out. I'll bat second and just lay down bunts to move our runners over. Anywhere they need me, I'll play. If I'm just in the dugout cheering on my teammates, that's fine, but if I'm on the field I just want to help out as much as I can. As a team, we just want to show everyone what we have. With the great seniors that left last year, everyone thinks we're rebuilding this year but we have a lot of great talent. I think we'll be just fine."
What advice would you give a young athlete who aspires to play at the college level?
"Work hard and keep working. That's what will get you far in life. Have a good work ethic and time management skills. Know when to socialize and know when to work. I always say work over play."
Previous Freshman Q&A Stories
Rachel Bobo
Carrigan Fain
Alexis Osorio
Kayla Rettig
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