The All-time wins leader in baseball at Missouri Southern, Warren Turner, was part of a 15-member classtoday that was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield, Mo.
Turner coached at Southern from 1977-2007 and is the all-time wins leader in the history of MSSU baseball. With 852 career victories he also ranks 15th all-time in NCAA history. During his tenure, Turner took five teams to national tournaments. His 1978 squad finished second to Emporia State in the NAIA World Series at St. Joseph, Mo., and Turner was named NAIA national coach of the year that season. Turner's 1986 and 1987 squads competed in the NAIA World Series at Lewiston, Idaho, finishing seventh and fifth, respectively.
He coached MSSU to a pair of NCAA Division II World Series at Montgomery, Ala., with the Lions finishing as the national runner-up in 1991 and finishing fifth the following year. He led MSSU to the CSIC title in 1986, MIAA south division championships in 1990, 1991 and 1992 and MIAA titles in 1991 and 1992. His teams advanced to the NCAA-II regional tournament four times, finishing first in 1990 and 1991, Turner has been named conference Coach of the Year three times (CSIC in 1986 and MIAA in 1991 and 1992).
He was the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992; NAIA District 16 Coach of the Year in 1978, 1985, 1986 and 1987; and NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1978. Turner was elected to the NAIA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004 and into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2008. He also is a member of the MSSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Also joining Turner this year in the Hall was former Missouri Western men's basketball coach Tom Smith, former St. Louis Cardinal Willie McGee, former Kansas City Royals Mike MacFarlane, and former Olympic distance runner and southwest Missouri native Jason Pyrah. Also going in with Turner will be Ed Podolak, Luke Snyder, Gary Link, Patty Viverito, Andy Hill, Bob Kendrick, Jack Steck, Becky Oakes, Dr. Mark Adams, and Robert Penn. The Hillcrest High School and American Legion baseball programs and the Parkway West High School swimming program were inducted as teams.
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