ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997 TAG: 9704140135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CINCINNATI
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK THE ROANOKE TIMES
He's not a regular with the Reds, but the former Ferrum College star is contributing for manager Ray Knight's team.
Eric Owens' locker is wedged into a crowded, red-carpeted corner of the home clubhouse at Cinergy Field.
That's OK with the former Ferrum College baseball star. He's just glad to be in the Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse, period. Thank you very much, but Owens would prefer to stay off this year's road to the Final Four.
``Going into spring training, I thought I'd be back in Triple A again,'' Owens said. ``I looked at who was on the roster, and there was no way I could see making the club.''
And that frustrated Owens, who after being named the American Association's most valuable player in 1995 for Indianapolis, began last season with the Reds, but didn't stay. Owens spent so much time shuttling the 100 miles between Cincinnati and Indy last season, he probably got to know the I-74 rest-stop custodians on a first-name basis.
He went to Class AAA on April 16, 1996, but two weeks later was back with the Reds. He went down again May 22, returning nine days later. His next trip to Triple A came July 3. Twelve days later, he was back in Schottzie's shadow. He took the shuttle in August, too.
``I think certain times I handled it well, and other times I didn't,'' said Owens, a Danville, Va., native who was the Reds' fourth-round draft pick in 1992. ``Overall, I guess I came out of it OK. Handling the mental part of the game can be a lot to overcome sometimes.''
There's no question why Owens is in Cincinnati this season. Reds manager Ray Knight summed it up in one sentence.
``Eric Owens can do a lot for us,'' he said.
Last season, Knight asked Owens to move from the infield to the outfield, and Owens started 37 games in left field, more than any other Red. He also played second and third base.
``Eric never took a fungo [outfield fly] until he got to the big leagues,'' said Abe Naff, his coach at Ferrum. ``He was our shortstop, but while he was here I told him he could be a great outfielder with his speed and arm strength. He just has great instincts for the game.''
During Owens' intermittent stints with the Triple A Indians, the Rocky Mount, Va., resident played four positions.
``I'd never played the outfield until last year,'' Owens said. ``Not as a kid, not at Tunstall [High School], not at Ferrum. Honestly, what probably got me here this year was doing that. I went to winter ball in Venezuela and learned to play center field. I hit .280, too.''
He also led the league in assists.
When the Reds made their last roster cut to 25 players to open the season, Owens was the only spare outfielder behind Reggie Sanders, Deion Sanders and Ruben Sierra, whose glove always has been a sore point.
Owens hasn't gotten to the plate 10 times this season, but he has been a defensive replacement in center and in left. Ozzie Timmons, acquired from the Cubs in a trade, was the fifth outfielder before being sent to the minors this week.
``I do feel like I have a little more stability this year,'' said Owens, 26, who batted .200 in 88 Cincinnati games last year and .320 in 33 Indianapolis games. ``If they want me to go down again, I'll handle it. From what I understand, as long as I have options left - and I do - it's possible.
``The tough part is coming off the bench and learning to get into a rhythm. Pinch-hitting is a tough job. I appreciate it a lot more now, because I know what it's like to do it.''
Despite starting only 44 games in 1996, Owens ranked fourth among Reds in stolen bases, with 16, an encouraging number if only because he was coming off knee surgery in 1995, when he made a perfect major-league debut at the plate (2-for-2 for the season) and starred at Indy.
``The hardest part is getting used to not playing day-in, day-out and trying to stay consistent,'' Owens said. ``When you do get out there, you feel like you're under the microscope and you have to produce. I'd like to get to the point where I can play every day, if even just in the late innings.''
Owens owns the highest honor won by a Ferrum athlete. He was the NCAA Division III player of the year in 1992. Naff said when Owens gets an opportunity as an everyday player - ``and he will,'' the Ferrum coach said - he will hit close to .300 and steal more than a few bases.
``He's one of those guys who got better every year he played the game,'' Naff said. ``That's because he worked hard at it. Last year, we talked about the game being a business, and he was frustrated. I think he's handling all of that now. Eric knows he's a big-league player.''
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Owensby CNB