Skip to main content

Buck Ringgold: With regional title in hand, longtime Owasso baseball coach Larry Turner can now set his sights on state

Resilient Rams squad reminds coach of his previous state title team.

A day prior to Saturday, Owasso was fighting for its life in the Class 6A regional baseball tournament. 

The Rams were on the brink of losing to Stillwater in extra innings, and in fact were down to their final strike. But they rallied to force an additional inning, and eventually won a 5-4 thriller that took 11 innings to finish, sending Owasso to the championship round.

When the two teams faced off again on Saturday, with Stillwater needing to win twice in order to take the regional title and advance to state, the Rams left no doubt.

They rang up a 9-0 lead by the third inning and went on to a 15-2 five-inning run rule win.

"I think we walked into the locker room (prior to Saturday's game) and were like, it's our motto, we don't just win, we quote, bury teams," said Solo Skalnik, one of 16 seniors playing their final game at Owasso's field. "So we came out (Saturday) firing and we just didn't stop firing and I'm proud of our guys for not giving up."

That's something else that attracted the attention of the Rams' longtime coach, Larry Turner, who has guided Owasso for nearly 40 years, winning 11 state championships. Earlier this season, he earned his 1,200th career win.

The resolve, the determination, the fortitude.

Those intangibles were on display in Friday's comeback win and it carried over into Saturday. It also brought back a related memory from the Rams' coach.

"(Friday) we were down to one strike of losing that game and them not giving in and having that personality of 'It's never over until it's over,'" Turner said. "Obviously, that's an old cliche, but just keep fighting and fighting with two outs and nobody on, and we get a hit with two strikes.

"To me, that's kind of reminiscent to 2015 when we were down to our last strike at the state finals a couple of times, but just kept grinding and finding a way to make something happen. Then we get to the next guy, and the next guy, and that's what I'm really proud of these kids for."

Jackson Smith, another member of that large senior class, hit a second-inning grand slam and ended up driving in six runs.

"This team, we're like a family," Smith said. "I love every single one of them, and it seems like everyone is contributing in a way, even if they're not playing.

"I just have a lot of fun with them. ... We're just like a family, so I'm excited for (this) week and I'm ready to win with them."

Even with the game well in hand Saturday, the Rams continued to put their foot on the gas pedal.

They hit two home runs in the fourth, including a blast from Skalnik.

"It was pretty emotional," Skalnik said. "I hit that home run and I was running around the bases and I was like, 'This is my last at-bat here,' so that was pretty cool."

And catcher Baylor Corbin put the capper on quite a day for the Rams, a day in which the temperatures started climbing amidst a brilliant blue sky.

On the game's final out, he raced from his position to chase down a foul ball, catching it in foul territory near the first-base dugout occupied by the Pioneers.

"What a great play by our catcher to end the game, right in front of the dugout diving. ... If you can make the routine plays then mix in a great play every now and then and you get some hits, then you've got a chance to go win it," Turner said.

Now, Turner is looking to tack on three more wins to his impressive portfolio, as the Rams (29-8) get set to play in the 6A state tournament starting Thursday.

It will be a loaded field, with several high-caliber squads in the mix. Six of the eight teams have won at least 29 ballgames on the season.

How loaded is the 6A tournament? The opening quarterfinal game on Thursday pits defending state champion Jenks - a 34-win squad - taking on Edmond Deer Creek, winners of 30 games.

Owasso then plays the next quarterfinal game, taking on a 27-win Edmond Memorial squad.

"Obviously, it will be wide open," Turner said. "Everybody's got a dude to get on the mound, and it's whoever can go up and play defense and not make an error here or there or extend an inning where they have four or five outs and who can get the timely hitting."

And Turner can also turn his full attention to state. Though the Rams were the regional hosts last week and were probably favored, Turner focused on the task at hand.

"Honestly, I haven't even looked at anything (related to the state tournament) or whatever; I was locked in on Stillwater because sometimes you snooker yourself whenever you start looking ahead. ... After (Saturday) now, I can go look," Turner said.

"I'm not one of those guys that's (thinking) two or three games down the road; you've got to win today to get to tomorrow."

That's the approach the Rams will be taking come Thursday. They hope it pays off this coming Saturday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City by winning a gold ball, which would be the program's 14th state title and the first since that never-say-die squad of 2015 Turner was referencing earlier.

"I just want to win, that's all," Smith said. "That's what all of us want is to win that last game, that's all that matters now.

"No records, no personal stats, the only thing that matters is the game."