The odds of pitching a no-hitter in Major League Baseball is, according to reports, .0013 per cent.
The chances are probably even less likely in the British Columbia Premier Baseball League (BCPBL), but that’s exactly what Senior U18 White Rock Tritons pitcher Reid Turner did at a recent game against the Victoria Eagles, pitching an amazing no-hitter (stats: 7IP, 0H, 1BB, 0ER, 8K) that included eight strikeouts.
“It felt pretty good. I didn’t even know I was throwing a no-hitter until halfway through the sixth inning… I was kind of in the zone and didn’t really hear anything,” Turner said, giving credit to his catcher, Vasya Seymour, and his teammates, including Logan Dreher, for making some excellent plays that helped him pitch a no-hitter.
“I was just trying to pitch the best for my team… every time I get on the mound, I try to give my team a good chance for winning.”
Tritons’ Senior U18 head coach Tyler Lawson noted that a no-hitter at this level is “quite the accomplishment.”
“It’s very rare to happen; so we’re all extremely proud of Reid. He had all his pitches working well and kept Victoria hitters off-balance all game long,” Lawson said, also crediting Seymour and Turner’s teammates for helping make the no-hitter happen.
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“This is an accomplishment that any player dreams of, Lawson said, “but I know for Reid, he’s just happy the team won and isn’t too caught up in his own personal success.”
Saturday away games are never easy to win, he noted, as everyone has to wake up early and jump on the ferry for an hour and a half, then they go straight to the field, loosen up and play two games right away.
“Game 1 against the Victoria Eagles was arguably the best game our team had played all season,” he said.
“Aside from Reid’s no-hitter, we played great defensively behind him and had some clutch hitting. Kai Okuyama made great plays (as short stop) and also hit a huge solo home run in the third to get us going offensively.”
The Victoria away trip was a victorious one, with the Triton going 4-0 to win their second four-game sweep of the season, winning two games Saturday (May 27) against the Eagles, and two games Sunday (May 28) against the Victoria Mariners.
Lawson credited all of the game’s pitchers (Turner, Marcus Janovsky, Leif Friedrich and Ben McKinnon) and players, many of whom made key plays to help the team win the sweep, including Sajan Kooner, Okuyama, Brady Augustin, Bailey D’Cruze, Gage Macri and Jordan Hounsell.
“It was just a great weekend for our group, moving us to 17-5 on the season,” Lawson said.
“We’re very proud of all the players as everyone found a way to contribute this weekend.”
The senior Tritons squad – who’ve been back in the No. 1 spot in BCPBL standings for several weeks – play the next three games at home, hosting the Abbotsford Cardinals on Friday (June 2), then a double header on Sunday (June 4) against the Mid-Island Pirates at their home field at South Surrey Athletic Park.
Turner, who has committed to play for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) next season, will be sorely missed by the Tritons.
“Their program is going to be getting a first-class individual and an all-around competitor on the mound,” Lawson said.
“I’m just looking forward to watching Reid’s last few months of being a Triton. The on-field performances are always awesome to watch, but it’s the stuff he does behind the scenes as a leader for this team that we’re going to miss the most once the season ends.”
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tricia.weel@peacearchnews.com
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