ROCKINGHAM – Senior softball player Owen Bowers has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales.
This is Bowers’ second time receiving the recognition this school year. She was also featured in November as a volleyball player at Richmond and for signing her National Letter of Intent to play softball at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Fla.
Athletic Profile
Name: Owen Bowers
Age: 18
Year: Senior
Spring Sport: Softball
Position: Catcher
Years on Varsity: 4 Years
Height & Weight: 5’-11”, 170 pounds
Experience: 9 years
Athlete of the Week Stats: As the Lady Raiders softball team continues its journey through the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs, Bowers has been an instrumental part of a power-hitting lineup that has outscored its opponents 29-2 in the second and third rounds. Set to play in the fourth round Saturday against either No. 5 Providence or No. 13 Hickory Ridge, Bowers and company are looking to win the program’s first state championship.
After struggling to find her stride at the plate the first half of the season after having three successful years prior, the four-year starter has started to peak at the right time. Most notable has been Bowers’ home run power. She’s brought the lumber during Richmond’s last three games dating back to the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament championship win against Jack Britt High School. In the three-game span, Bowers has launched five home runs and collected 11 RBIs.
Since the SAC tournament championship, Bowers has gone 8-for-12 at the plate for a .667 batting average, and has drilled two home runs in each of Richmond’s two playoff games. Last Friday in the second round against No. 17 Independence High School, Bowers went 3-for-4 with a two-run and a three-run home run. She finished the night with a game-high six RBIs as the Lady Raiders knocked off the Lady Patriots 12-2 in six innings.
Four nights later against No. 8 Lake Norman High School in the third round, Richmond ran the table, blanking the Lady Wildcats 17-0. As a team, the Lady Raiders blasted a program record-breaking six home runs, with five of them coming in the bottom of the fourth inning, tying a state record. Bowers did her part as she led off the inning with a solo bomb, and came up again in the same inning and cranked a three-run blast. With those two home runs, she tied a state record for the most longballs in an inning, and brought her season total up to nine.
Describe your hot streak over the last three games. What’s it mean for you and the team to be peaking at this point of the season?
“It’s really good to finally be hitting like normal,” Bowers said, alluding to getting out of her midseason slump. “I’m seeing the ball really good right now. In the early part of the season, I was pulling my head. My confidence wasn’t as high when I wasn’t hitting.
“But now I’m back to normal,” she added. “I’m not worried about it as much, and believe I can hit the ball every time. I’m loving how well we’re playing right now. We’re hitting the ball when it matters.”
What’s your senior season been like? Do you have a favorite moment?
“Winning wise, it’s been really good all season,” Bowers commented. “Even when I struggled (at the plate), my teammates picked me up. It made me more selfless. I realized that my team could pick me up when I wasn’t hitting well.
“My favorite moments were the comebacks against Jack Britt and Scotland,” Bowers smiled. “They were both conference games, and we came back after being down by so much late in the game. We fought back and won. The Scotland game was big for seeding and it was my senior night.”
What are you looking forward to most when you go to Florida SouthWestern State to play softball?
“I’m looking forward to see them push me to my limits as a softball player,” Bowers said. “I want to see how good I can get. I’ve been working really hard in high school, and playing in college will be a different level of competition.
“I’m excited,” she finished. “I hope to be as close with my teammates (in college) as I am with the girls here.”
For Bowers’ previous Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week article, click here.
