Micah Owings To Make MLB Debut Friday With Diamondbacks
Apr 5, 2007 | Baseball
April 5, 2007
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Former Tulane University baseball standout Micah Owings will make his Major League debut as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks when he toes the rubber on Friday, April 6, against the Washington Nationals at 6:05 p.m. (CDT) in Washington, D.C.
Owings, an All-American utility athlete during the Green Wave's march to the College World Series in 2005, made the Big League roster as Arizona's fifth starter in just his second full season playing professional baseball. He will become the first Tulane pitcher to see action in a Major League game since Mike Romano with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999 and the first to earn a start since Gene Harris in 1992 as a member of the San Diego Padres.
"None of us are surprised," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "I've coached a lot of great players, and I've said this many times - Micah had the greatest single season of any player I've ever coached. That's no disrespect to anybody else, but he had a National Player of the Year type of year (in 2005). In the last six games of his junior year, he just threw us on his back as far as pitching is concerned.
"For him to go into pro ball and do what he did in such a short period of time - 16 wins and (two) losses last year and hitting over .300 - is not surprising at all. Of all the players that I've been around, Micah Owings is at the highest level when you combine ability with desire, commitment and work ethic."
Owings, who came to Tulane after a two-year stint at Georgia Tech, had an outstanding junior campaign when he was named Conference USA Player of the Year and claimed All-America honors from Baseball America (third-team), Collegiate Baseball (second-team) and the College Baseball Foundation.
That season, Owings helped lead Tulane to a C-USA regular-season title, a share of the C-USA Tournament title (the championship game vs. TCU was canceled due to inclement weather), the NCAA New Orleans Regional and Super Regional crowns, and an appearance in the College World Series.
A standout student-athlete both at the plate and on the mound, Owings led the Green Wave in batting average (.359), home runs (18) and RBI (65) with his bat and 135 strikeouts and a .228 opponent batting average from the hill. As a pitcher, Owings ranked second on the team in ERA (3.26), wins (12) and innings pitched (129.2).
Following the 2005 college season, Owings was drafted in the third round by Arizona, and was sent directly to High-A Lansing where he posted a 2.45 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 22.0 innings of work. He began the 2006 season with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, where he went 6-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 69 punches in 74.1 innings.
On June 12, 2006, Owings was promoted to Triple-A Tucson and was named the Diamondback's Minor League Player of the Year after going 10-0 with a 3.70 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 15 starts with the Sidewinders.
While Owings has been impressive on the mound so far in his young professional career, he has also made an impression at the plate where he has hit a combined .356 (21-for-59) with six doubles, a homer and 13 RBI during the 2006 season.
"Our fans need to know that even though he was only here one year, he considers himself as much a part of our program as anyone who has ever played here," Jones said. "We couldn't be happier for him and the only reason I'm not going to be in the stadium (in D.C.) on Friday is because we're playing. But the first day we're off and he's pitching, then whenever that is, I promise I'm going to miss practice."
Owings is one of three players with Conference USA ties to suit up for the Diamondbacks so far this year, joining former East Carolina third baseman Chad Tracy and former Houston catcher Chris Snyder. Owings was initially left off the MLB roster at the start of the season, but his Minor League contract was purchased by the parent club on Thursday, April 5.
