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Cullowhee, N.C. – Continuing a tradition that began back in 2011, Western Carolina fifth-year senior infielder Trent Turner was selected as this year’s Leggett No. 7 Legacy recipient by fourth-year head coach Alan Beck and his coaching staff. Turner will wear the coveted No. 7 jersey during the 2026 season.
The official announcement of this year’s Leggett No. 7 Legacy recipient came during a team meeting on Thursday (Jan. 29) in the Ramsey Center. College Baseball Hall of Famer and former WCU head coach Jack Leggett addressed the team via Zoom and made the announcement. Turner’s parents were also able to attend the surprise reveal of this year’s recipient.
Turner is the 16th different player and the sixth infielder to have the Leggett No. 7 Legacy bestowed upon him for a season. He is joined on this year’s team by previous winners OF Cole Jones (2024), C Cam Murray (2025), and assistant coach Seth Graves (2022).
“I am thrilled to continue the Leggett Legacy at Western Carolina by naming Trent Turner as this year’s recipient,” said Beck. “Like Coach Leggett, Trent embodies all that is good in college baseball. He is as tough as they come, a leader both on and off the field, and plays a key role in how we go about our business every single day. Seeing how excited our guys were during the announcement tells you everything you need to know about Trent Turner.”
Transferring to Western Carolina from USC Union ahead of the 2024 season, Turner has been a stalwart on the left-side of the Catamount infield for the past two seasons. He has started all 112 games in a Catamount uniform at shortstop. A two-time team captain, Turner has batted .313 over the past two years, including a career-best .325 a season ago as he finished the season two-thirds of the way towards the WCU Triple Crown. The Waynesville, N.C., native has over 70 hits in his first two years at WCU, collecting 71 in 2024 and 76 last spring. He has 52 extra-base hits, including 28 doubles, a pair of triples, and 22 home runs, belting a career-best and team-leading 14 a season ago.
Earlier this preseason, Turner was dubbed one of the 14 top college players on the “All-Underrated Team,” as selected by Baseball America national college reporter Jacob Rudner.
Twice listed on the Brooks Wallace Award watch list for the nation’s top shortstop, Turner was named to the Southern Conference All-Defensive team a season ago. He is also a two-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll recipient and has twice been selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.
The annual Leggett No. 7 Legacy program was introduced by former WCU baseball head coach Bobby Moranda back in 2011 at the second “Celebration of Catamount Baseball” banquet. Each year, the Catamount coaching staff selects one player who is committed to the principles and integrity established by the namesake and former WCU skipper during his tenure in Cullowhee and throughout his Hall of Fame coaching career. It’s a tradition that Beck – who was on Moranda’s staff in 2011 when the legacy was created – has continued since returning to campus.
“Among the many great past individuals that have influenced the success and the prestige of Western Carolina baseball, Jack Leggett stands out above most. His legacy continues to live on here every day,” Moranda said of the Leggett Legacy tradition upon its creation back in 2011.
Leggett is a 2001 WCU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and a 2014 selection into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame. The son of a coach and a native of Vermont, Leggett coached both NCAA programs with the Catamount moniker. He led the Vermont Catamounts baseball program back to the varsity level from 1978 through 1982 before taking over at Western Carolina in 1983. Leggett amassed 302 career victories in Cullowhee to rank second all-time, guiding the Purple & Gold to five Southern Conference titles and five NCAA tournaments.
As a collegiate head coach, Leggett won 1,332 career games and made 26 appearances in the NCAA postseason. He coached over 140 professional baseball signees, nine first-round draft picks, and 25 players who played in the Major Leagues.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, Catamount baseball will hold a morning intrasquad scrimmage, followed by the annual “Little Catamounts” youth clinic at Childress Field. The clinic – open for kids ages 6-12 – follows the action on the field at 2:30 p.m., with a post-clinic autograph session with the Catamount baseball team. For questions or to register, contact Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing & Promotions Tyler Pope at tpope@wcu.edu.
WCU opens the season with a three-game series against George Washington, Feb. 13-15, as seven of the squad’s first eight games will be played in #CatamountCountry.
Both season and single-game baseball tickets are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online any time at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Season tickets start at just $51 for adult general admission or $26 for youth general admission. Additional seating options include reserved field-level chair-back seats and upper-reserved chair-back seats under cover beneath the press box.
Fans can also purchase the “Baseball and Bo’s Flex Tickets,” presented by Bojangles of Sylva. This special flexible package includes 15 general admission ticket vouchers redeemable for any home baseball game and coupons for four FREE Cajun filet biscuits from Bojangles, all for just $50.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
WCU’s All-Time Leggett No. 7 Legacy Recipients:
2026: Trent Turner, INF
2025: Cam Murray, C
2024: Cole Jones, OF
2023: Zach Ketterman, INF
2022: Seth Graves, OF
2021: Immanuel Wilder, OF
2020: Justice Bigbie, INF
2019: Luke Robinson, C
2018: Cameron Blaquiere, INF
2017: Nobu Suzuki, INF
2016: Reece Strong, INF
2015: Danny Bermudez, C
2014: Luke Gragg, UT
2013: Morgan McKinney, LHP
2012: Vance Chavis, LHP
2011: Stephen Notaro, C
