Turner Fritts is a self-confessed, slow decision maker.
It took him 2 1/2 years to pick a college, but halfway through his senior year he made a decision and signed to play baseball for Southeast Missouri State University.
The Poplar Bluff second baseman started getting interest from colleges when he was a sophomore. Playing Division I baseball was always a dream for Fritts ... but where? One of the choices he had to make was to go far away or stay close to home.
"(SEMO) is close to home, I love the campus, love the coaches, all the facilities are super nice and they were with me the entire ride. It was just a great experience," Fritts said. "I just wanted to make sure I made the right decision. You are going to be there for four years and that's a long time if you don't want to be there.
"It is a big deal signing Division I. It has always been a big deal for me and doing it is pretty thrilling."
Added Poplar Bluff coach Steve Edwards, "They are getting a hard working and dedicated young man who has a burning desire to be a Division I player, to play infield for them. Turner is a player who is exceptional. He does the little things right, but he also does work on his own to get better. You're always seeing him in the cage, you're always seeing him working, striving to be the best that he can."
Edwards added that over the past four years, Fritts has gotten faster and improved his already strong defense, but his biggest improvement might be his improved power to opposite field.
"I really believe he can play shortstop, third, he could even play first if they wanted him to," Edwards said. "There's so much upside to him, and to this team."
With Fritts back with a large group of returning starters, Edwards has high hopes for this year's team.
The Mules are off to a 7-0 start and Fritts has hit a home run in each of the last three games. Poplar Bluff hosts Malden on Monday before state-ranked Sikeston visits Tuesday in a SEMO Conference game.
"The core of our team came back and I really think this year, this may be the best team Poplar Bluff has ever had," Edwards said. "(Fritts) has a chance to do something that a second basemen hasn't been able to do, and that's go four years with three errors or four errors."
Fritts and shortstop Tyson Cox turned 28 double plays last year.
"It is, honestly, probably the best middle infield I've been a part of and it is exciting for him," Edwards said. "It shows you can pitch different to batters. It shows you can go off-speed when people are expecting fastball. You can try different things and you can shift your infield around a little bit because they can cover so much ground and they can do so much."
Fritts hit .304 last year with 14 RBIs and seven doubles. He has played 63 varsity games dating back to his freshman year.
Fritts is the 12th Mule in the past three years to sign to play college baseball, and the first to sign with the Redhawks since Wes Pyles, who is currently a senior at Southeast.
"He has been a mentor. I didn't really get to play with him, but I've talked to him a lot. He is a great guy to watch and see what he does," Fritts said of Pyles.
Fritts said the Redhawk coaches stuck with him over the years as he waited to make his decision, and what clinched it was when he visited and saw how nice the facilities are and how friendly the coaches are.
"It is a lot lifted off my shoulders, that is for sure," Fritts said. "It has been a long process but I'm real happy with where I'm going."