Editor’s note: This is a column and does not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Barometer.

Three seasons, 581 at-bats, 159 games, 178 hits, 177 RBIs, and 48 home runs — the most in Oregon State University history — Gavin Turley’s resume has been nothing short of impressive. 

On May 17, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Turley had his last regular-season at-bat in Goss Stadium. 

“It’s hard not to get emotional,” Turley said, fighting back tears in a press conference. “This place means the world to me, and it’s going to be sad leaving it.” 

In his final year with the Beavs, Turley looks for his final push at Omaha. He finished the regular season with an impressive stat line: a .338 batting average, 15 home runs, 68 hits, and 57 RBIs. 

“We all know how emotional he is about this place, how special it is to him,” said OSU Head Baseball Coach Mitch Canham. “Gavin put his heart and soul into this place, and he’s been doing it since the beginning of his high school career.” 

Before Turley made his mark on OSU, he carved out a name for himself at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona — the alma mater of current Yankees outfielder and former National League MVP Cody Bellinger.

In high school, Turley set the Arizona high school home run record and was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the state and No. 16 in the nation. He even verbally committed to be a Beaver in his freshman year of high school. 

He was selected in the 19th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2022 by the Arizona Diamondbacks with a chance to be a hometown hero, but chose to pack up his bags and move to Corvallis instead. 

Turley is the baseball program’s tour guide. Whenever a recruit came into town, he was the first to volunteer and show them around. 

While life revolves around baseball, Turley still manages to challenge himself in other ways. 

After the regular season concluded, Turley spent his off days fishing for salmon. 

Turley is working on getting his pilot license, has flown over Goss Stadium on numerous occasions and is an elegant pianist. 

“We put a piano in the players’ lounge for him to perform,” Canham said. “I’ll be sitting in the chair, and he will be playing, and it puts me to sleep. It’s kind of nice, very relaxing.” 

Similar to his personal endeavours, Turley approaches the game with a beginner’s mindset, a concept from Zen Buddhism. He explains it as “a never-ending process of mastery.”

This allows him to continue to approach baseball through a lens of openness and eagerness, as if he were just learning how to play. 

“I’m in my third year, and it feels like I’m just starting to learn who I actually am as a hitter,” Turley said. “It’s my eighteenth year of baseball, maybe I can start figuring it out.” 

His humble attitude and desire to improve make for the Beavs’ perfect leader. 

As Regionals and Super Regionals approach, Turley understands what it means to play these tournaments at home. In his freshman year, the Beavers headed south, playing in Baton Rouge at Louisiana State University. 

Unable to advance on the road in 2023, the Regionals headed to Corvallis with a shot at redemption.

The Beavers went 3-0, defeating Tulane University once and the University of California, Irvine twice. 

Turley hit a grand slam against Tulane and earned himself a spot on the Corvallis Regional All-Tournament Team. 

“Being able to host (Regionals) and play in front of those people and for those people is honestly a life-changing moment,” Turley said. “It’s not about you anymore, it’s never been about you.”

Goss Stadium has brought endless opportunities for Turley, but it is not quite over yet. 

“I don’t jump into all those hugs too often, but I know for a guy like him, it’s going to be done,” Canham said. “(Seeing) him take off the jersey one last time is going to be emotional, but let’s go ahead and give another 10 plus games or whatever it takes, so he can keep wearing that.”

Turley is ranked 74th overall among top MLB 2025 Draft prospects. 

Beaver baseball fans may not be ready to see him depart, but the future for Turley does not end at Goss Stadium; it was only the beginning. 

“Gavin’s the kind of guy whose banner is going to be sitting behind home, his picture is going to be all over the place forever,” Canham said. “He’s a Beaver legend.”