Sandpoint High rising seniors Drew Lehman and Jesse Turner both accepted invites to compete in the 2024 Pathway Prospect Games set to be held July 31 to Aug. 4 at UC San Diego’s Triton Ballpark. The event is a five-day showcase for the top 120 unsigned Pathway baseball prospects.

To be selected to such an event, one must be nominated by a Pathway scout, a college coach or a club coach. The event provides unsigned athletes from the graduating classes of 2024 to 2027 a platform to display their skills in front of college coaches. The event regularly attracts attention from coaches across all levels, including NCAA Division I, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO. Players from all across the country will compete against each other on six different 20-man squads.

"We are excited after five years of building the Pathway name to get our first Prospect Games off the ground and give our top unsigned players the opportunity to showcase on a big stage in front of hundreds of colleges in one place," said Pathway Baseball director Gino Grasso. "After researching a variety of ideas and looking at many locations, we chose to run this event in San Diego, as it's a destination that lends itself well to this type of event."

In the offseason, Turner, a right-handed pitcher and first baseman, and Lehman, a shortstop and outfielder, both compete for the River City Baseball Club out of Post Falls. Other Idaho participants include Cade Burnham (Meridian), Jackson Edwards (Kuna), Tav Hiaring (Boise), Jace Irwin (Nampa), Anthony Karis (Coeur d’Alene), Jacob Marino (Meridian), Dallin Snooks (Eagle), and Jackson Wendt (Meridian). Players from Idaho, New York, Colorado, Utah, California, South Dakota, Washington, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Missouri and Ohio will be participating in the event.

Both Lehman and Turner have been on the SHS varsity baseball team since their freshman years. Turner holds a 3.03 career ERA, has limited opponents to a .252 batting average, and boasts a 2.14/1 strikeout-walk ratio across 60 innings of work. This past season, he pitched a career-best 2.03 ERA across 31 innings. Lehman boasts a .346 career batting average and .452 on-base percentage across 191 at-bats and 240 plate appearances. Over the past three years he has accumulated 66 hits (17 extra-base hits), 36 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases; he batted an impressive .391 his sophomore year and .379 this past season to go along with a .514 OBP.

    Jesse Turner