All-American Flashback: Chrissy Owens (2005-08)
12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
In honor of Alabama softball's 20th anniversary, rolltide.com will be catching up with our 20 former All-Americans in a series of feature interviews. Our tenth feature is with All-American pitcher Chrissy Owens (2005-08) from Miami.
The state of Florida has proved a fertile recruiting ground for Alabama softball over the years. Six Crimson Tide All-Americans hail from the Sunshine State, the most of any state in the country. Of the six, three were pitchers and Miami native Chrissy Owens was the first. Alabama's successful history of recruiting in the state ultimately led the Tide coaching staff to Owens when looking at other players in the area.
"I knew about all the SEC schools," Owens said. "I had watched them on TV so I knew a little bit about all of them, but not necessarily where I would want to go. A lot of the west coast schools were pretty prominent so those were a little more highlighted per say. I knew about Alabama and Coach [Patrick] Murphy through some teammates I had growing up that went there. Dominique Acceturo and Jackie Wilkins were also from Miami and they played on my sister's travel ball team. He knew of me through them but it wasn't until later on in the recruiting process that I learned about the school."
After a stellar prep career at G. Holmes High School as the strikeout record-holder in Dade County, Owens had plenty of options when choosing where to play in college. Alabama started as just another option on the list but it didn't take long before it became the only option.
"The whole recruiting process was a little overwhelming," Owens said. "I wanted to go to a good academic school for business but I still wanted to play at an elite level for softball. It became overwhelming dealing with all the coaches calling my house to talk to me and schedule visits. I had a bunch lined up but when I took my visit to Alabama, I committed on the visit without even consulting with my parents. It felt like home to me. I could tell that the team's relationship with each other and with the community felt like a family. It was clear when I got there how I wanted to spend my college career."
Owens arrived in Tuscaloosa for the 2005 season with senior Jennifer Wright and junior Stephanie VanBrakle ahead of her in the circle, meaning her playing opportunities would likely be limited. Owens looked at it as an opportunity rather than a hindrance.
"I took it as an opportunity to learn from people of that caliber, whether it was work ethic or certain drills and skills," Owens said. "The mental aspect of the game was something I needed to learn as a young athlete coming in. I wasn't as established as a pitcher. I didn't have a pitching coach from a young age. I didn't have as much specific pitching knowledge. As soon as I got to Alabama, there was so much I needed to learn. It was great to have people like Jen Wright and Stephanie VanBrakle to look up to."
During Owens' freshman season, Murphy took a cue from the baseball world and established a very specific role for Owens as a late-inning reliever or closer. Her 11 saves and 32 games finished that season are both school records, beating the closest totals by six (Shelley Laird - 5) and 13 (Sydney Littlejohn - 19) respectively.
"It was awesome," Owens said about her role as a freshman. "It kind of developed into that role and it was very fun for me. Murphy and I would talk about it like a baseball role of a reliever or closer and you don't see that very often in softball. It was a fun position because you come in during pressure situations and it's sink or swim. Being able to compete at that level where you have that pressure on and you have to perform was really fun. It also showed that the staff had confidence in me and I was grateful I could help the team in that role. To deliver as a freshman coming in and contribute was enough for me."
That confidence helped set the stage for what would be an astonishing 2006 sophomore season by Owens, finishing with a school record 0.68 ERA, winning 21 games over 154.0 innings with 190 strikeouts and just 26 walks. Surprisingly enough, Owens was not named an All-American in 2006, earning Second Team All-South Region and All-SEC honors. She finally earned national recognition as a junior in 2007, going 24-5 over 37 appearances with a 1.67 ERA and 144 strikeouts.
"I think my success just came from developing as an athlete, as a whole," Owens said. "When you come in as a freshman, everything is new to you. You're not used to the structure or the mental aspect of the game. Even though I had been playing since I was five, when you get to that level things change. There's a lot more strategy behind everything. You need to come up with a plan and think about how you're going to work on things to achieve certain goals. I came in kind of raw and the coaches developed me to where I needed to be mentally and physically. The whole team worked hard to get where we were. Nothing came easy. Effort on everyone's behalf was big, it's wasn't just an individual thing. The coaches and team invested in me and vice versa. I never felt worried about the defense or the offense. I could just go out there and do what I needed to do and they had my back."
The Crimson Tide made three trips to the Women's College World Series during Owens' career, culminating in a third-place finish during her 2008 senior season.
"As soon as you walk into the World Series, it's just a pleasure to be there," Owens said. "Many of the girls in college softball have been playing since they were little and being there has always been your dream. Murphy used to ask us all the time, 'Where do you want to be in June?' I wanted to be at the World Series playing and not on the couch watching it. You're a little nervous when you get there but once the first game starts, you're back in competition mode. It's an even playing field there, everyone is fighting to win. To be considered as one of those eight teams is awesome."
Attend an Alabama softball game at Rhoads Stadium and you're very likely to catch multiple program alumni cheering from the stands or interacting with current players after the game. Coach Murphy and the staff make it a point to never forget those who came through the program in the past and welcome alumni back with open arms.
"The experience of being on a team and the atmosphere that Coach Murphy and the staff have developed is just amazing," Owens said. "We graduate and leave after four years and, when we come back, we feel just as welcome and as part of the team and family as when we were on it. It's a testament to the type of relationship and comradery that we have there. It's very much a family atmosphere. It's not like we leave and never hear anything from the team again. We get regular communication from Coach Murphy all the time to let us know what's going on. It's just an awesome thing to be a part of. It reminds you why you did it and what an impact it has made on our lives. It pushed us to be the best version of ourselves on and off the field."
Now, living back in her hometown of Miami, Owens applies the lessons learned at Alabama into her current career in marketing operations.
"Attention to detail. Don't disregard the little things because everything matters. Your relationship with others is the main thing. There's so much you learn being on a team and we've all been fortunate to learn it. That team mentality is one of the greatest things. It's not about you, it's about everyone. That's huge. That's something you can take into any career. Everything we learned there as players and people we are able to use outside of Alabama.
"I've put my degree to use and am thankful that Alabama provided me with a quality education. There's no more softball for me unfortunately besides slow-pitch softball with some friends."
And no, her team hasn't been tempted yet to bring her in as a ringer in the circle.
"I don't even pitch," Owens said with a laugh. "I can't throw the ball high enough in the arc they want for the co-ed league."
