Amy Owensby, Sewanee
(by Pratt Paterson, Sewanee Sports Information Director)

A member of the league's 15th anniversary softball team, Amy Owensby (2001-2004) of Sewanee-University of the South is the only pitcher in conference history to post four wins at the same SCAC Tournament.

In 2004, she accomplished this amazing feat with wins over Hendrix, Trinity, Rose-Hullman, and finally with a 2-1 championship win over Millsaps. In the championship, the Majors mounted a comeback after being down 2-0. They scored one in the bottom of the ninth, but Owensby held them off, securing the one-run win over Millsaps.

“My greatest honor as a Sewanee Softball player was being a part of the 2004 team,” said Owensby. “The Lady Tigers went to the SCAC Festival and not only played, but won the tournament. As a team, the SCAC Championship was a long hard fought battle against teams that were at one time thought to be unbeatable. For me, winning the Festival illustrates that with teamwork and determination seemingly insurmountable feats can be realized.”

She was the league’s Pitcher-of-the-Year both her junior and senior seasons (2003 and 2004) and ended her career as the SCAC’s all-time leader in wins (52) and innings pitched (726.2). She posted a career ERA of 2.70 (11th all-time in the SCAC) with 371 strikeouts (second all-time). She led the league in wins for three straight seasons (2002-2004). Owensby was named to the league’s All-Tournament team three times in her career, including 2004 when she led the Tigers’ to their only SCAC title. During that tourney run, Owensby became the first and only pitcher in league history to win four games at the postseason event.

In this, the last year of the SCAC Spring Sport Festival, Owensby, now married with the last name Bates, still has fond memories of the spring gathering. “The SCAC Festival was always a great experience whether we traveled to Indiana, Mississippi, or stayed right here in Tennessee. I always enjoyed taking the field in the Sewanee purple and gold, but knowing that we could step off the field SCAC champs provided added excitement to each game. The competition was always fierce, but each and every Sewanee softball team that went to the Festival represented the school with poise and sportsmanship. Although girls that I played with at Sewanee have graduated and moved on to greater accomplishments, we can all reflect back to our Festival memories and take pride in our wins, milestones, and friendships.”