THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: May 27, 2015

Everything is bigger in the state of Texas.

In the city of Dallas a little later this week, Drew Turbin, a 2011 graduate of Coeur d'Alene High will begin playing in the biggest baseball tournament he's ever been a part of.

Lord willing, he won't be finished anytime soon.

TURBIN AND his 10th-ranked Dallas Baptist University teammates will host one of 16 regionals to open the NCAA Tournament.

Dallas Baptist (43-13), which lost to Bradley 3-1 last Friday in a semifinal game in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, joined the Division I ranks in baseball in 2004. All the school's other sports remain in Division II.

"To be one of the first guys to do it, it's pretty special," said Turbin, a senior second baseman. "You've got to look back at the guys before us that have paved the way and made this beautiful stadium to host this tournament. It was one of the goals we had at the start of the season, and we're glad we reached it. But our work isn't quite done yet. We've got to get past this weekend to get to Super Regionals, then to the College World Series."

To get to the College World Series, they'll have to beat Oregon State (38-16-1), Texas (30-25) and Virginia Commonwealth (37-22) at home this weekend.

"They're all really good teams," Turbin said. "Both Texas and Oregon State, it gives us some more incentive to play them. Texas came on late in the season to advance and Oregon State is really good. Everyone earned their spot into the tournament, and I think it will be fun."

Drew's older brother JJ signed to play at Oregon State in 2010 before transferring to NAIA Westmont College in California.

"They (Oregon State) sent me letters trying to recruit me," Drew Turbin said. "But I committed to Oregon after my junior year, and kind of stopped all the recruiting quickly. It didn't work out for me at Oregon in the long run, but I know all the coaches at Oregon State and have talked to them at some of the tournaments. I think it's cool to see them. The Lord had better plans and I couldn't be happier with the situation I'm in right now."

After graduating from Coeur d'Alene, Turbin moved on to NJCAA Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., playing both second base and shortstop.

Turbin, the Patriots' leadoff batter, leads the team in hitting with a .352 average (67 for 192) with 16 doubles, 34 runs batted in and 50 runs scored.

"Last year, I had a few injuries that held me back a little," Turbin said. "I go up there and try to be the spark and see the ball, hit the ball, and let the rest fall where they may. It's just a game, and if you have a great day, you get to come out and play again the next day, God willing."

WHEN IT came time to look for another school after graduating from Yavapai, Turbin wanted to find something to fit his Christian beliefs.

"It's been an unbelievable experience," Turbin said. "I came here because I was looking for a team with a greater focus. Being here really helped me grow as a man, as well as getting the chance to learn more biblically. They've just helped me play the game better and develop my skills. Everyone here is trying to achieve the same thing and really pulling for each other."

Dallas Baptist is 22-4 at its home field of Horner Ballpark this season.

"Our pitching staff is unbelievable," Turbin said. "What coach (Wes) Johnson does with those pitchers is amazing. The culture in our locker room is great. We're all like brothers and how you treat your teammates is how you gel as a group."

All games in the regional tournament will be broadcast by ESPN, either on ESPN3 or ESPN2. Dallas Baptist opens Friday against Virginia Commonwealth at 4 p.m., following Texas vs. Oregon State at 11:30 a.m.

"I'm really anxious to get going," Turbin said. "When the lights come on, you get amped up."

The Dallas Regional winner advances to face the winner of the Miami (Fla.) Regional in a best-of-three Super Regional. If Miami wins, the Hurricanes host. If they don't, and Dallas Baptist wins its regional, the Patriots will host.

The College World Series is June 13-23 in Omaha, Neb.

"I've never been there, but I think it would be pretty awesome to get there," Turbin said of Omaha.

The Major League Baseball Draft is June 8-10.

"I've talked to a few scouts here and there," Turbin said. "But that's totally out of my control. My hope is that one of those teams picks me, but I'm really not thinking about that right now. Hopefully I've done enough through my play that they'll pick me, but thinking about it just makes me anxious and I'm trying to keep my mind on winning this regional."

Turbin will graduate with a major in business management at the end of the spring semester.

"When I could transfer, it (going into business management) kind of sparked my interest," Turbin said. "I thought it was something I could get into after baseball."

Not that he's thinking about that anytime soon.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.