Warner University Sports Hall of Fame
Justin Turner was a three year letterman for head coach Jeff Sikes and the Warner baseball team from 1998-2001. After sitting out the 1999 season, Turner returned for his sophomore and junior seasons only to lead the Royals to the highest combined win total over a two-year span in program history. Between 2000 and 2001 the Royals won 95 games culminating in a trip to the Avista NAIA World Series in 2001 where they finished fifth overall. For his efforts Turner was named a 2001 NAIA All-American and team co-Most Valuable Player.
In the summer of 2001, Turner was selected in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Amateur draft by the then-Anaheim Angels, becoming the highest drafted player in school history. Turner’s professional career spanned five seasons where he advanced as a high as the AA level. He was a career-.237 hitter in the MiLB with a .309 on-base percentage and .370 slugging percentage.
In 2010, Turner became a professional hitting coach with the Charleston River Dogs of the New York Yankees farm system. In 2011, he was promoted to the same position with the Tampa Yankees. His ascent up the Yankees’ coaching ladder continued after the 2012 season when he was named to the coaching staff of the AA-level Trenton Thunder.
Also, in 2011 Turner founded the Gimme 4, Inc. A foundation in honor of his friend and fellow Warner alumnus Jason Roe who was battling cancer. The Foundation is a non-profit charitable group whose sole purpose is to help families that are battling cancer. In their inaugural Gimme 4 Benefit 5k, Turner’s passion for helping led Jason’s family in receiving over $13,000 to aid in their time of need.
Turner has since returned to Warner to complete his degree. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. While attending Warner, Turner met his wife Hayley and they currently reside in Lake Wales, Fla. They have three children, Colton (9), Grady (6)
and Finley (4).
