This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy's Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MILWAUKEE -- Brice Turang's dad is the one who played in the big leagues and threw his son hours upon hours of batting practice. But Brice never forgets the role his mom, Carrie, played in his rise to Major League stardom.
“Raising five kids is hard, and she was everything to our family,” Brice said. “She was the glue to our family. I always looked up to my mom and dad, and wanted to be just like them.
“My mom is one of one.”
Carrie Turang was not just a full-time mom for Brice and his four sisters while they were growing up, she was an overtime mom, since all five kids were star athletes. That meant logging countless miles in Southern California making sure everyone got to practice on time.
And Mom knows all about what it takes to play high level athletics. Carrie Turang played softball for Long Beach State and competed in the Women's College World Series.
“She doesn’t talk much about herself or her playing days, but she still has friends from college and goes back to some alumni events,” Brice said. “Obviously, sports is very big in my family, but she taught us more about being respectful, and just how to live your everyday life, what’s right and what’s wrong.
“Really, her and my dad both don’t say much about their own sports careers. They let us do our thing and have fun and enjoy it. They let us play.”
His dad, Brian Turang, played in the Majors years before Brice was born, and he wasn’t as fortunate to find sustained success like his son, who has blossomed into one of the best second basemen in baseball. Brice has been in the big leagues since 2023, when he debuted as Milwaukee’s Opening Day shortstop before belting a grand slam for his first career home run days later in that year’s home opener.
Of course, mom and dad were in the stands.
When the recession hit in the late 2000s, with all of her children in school full time, Carrie decided to go back to work. She was certified as a teacher, and has been teaching high school art ever since.
“It wasn’t always easy, but her and my dad always did everything to provide,” Brice said. “They made sure we could play sports, and that meant we were always on the road. We all played multiple sports and my dad was working, so she was the one who would take us around everywhere.
“She sacrificed a lot just to make sure we could play sports. I definitely wouldn't be here without either of my parents.”