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The Voice of the Devilettes
The Culpeper softball dugout was noticeably quiet during the Devilettes' May 6 game versus Liberty.
Not completely silent, mind you, since the Devilettes probably generate more in-game chatter than the other Cedar Run District teams combined.
But dormant enough to know that something — or someone — was not as loud as usual.
The mystery was easily solved. Senior Brittany Owens, Culpeper's starting right fielder/cheerleader/songstress, was under the weather. Owens, who can usually be heard boisterously leading the Devilettes through lyrical chants from the first pitch to the last, turned over her duties.
"You have to help me out today!" Owens told her teammates during the pre-game, a lingering sore throat hindering her vocals.
So, at least for one game, Culpeper's solo performance turned into a group harmony.
You could still hear all the classics, of course:
"Not yo', not yo' pitch," sung to the tune of "Macho Man" when a Devilette took a strike at the plate.
"That pitch is low (low!). Nichole can't make it go when you pitch it so low," belted out in notes curiously close to M.C. Hammer's "Pray."
"Ball ball ball (Good eye!) Good eye good eye good eye (Ball!)" which is less musically-inclined and more just several girls screaming.
Still, try as the Devilettes might, all the lyrics sounded different minus Owens.
Picture Van Halen after the David Lee Roth-to-Sammy Hagar switch. You still recognized the songs ... they just had a different ring.
"She is definitely louder than everybody else," CCHS coach Janice Gillespie said of Owens.
The voice of the Devilettes plays a larger role for her team than simply lead singer.
As the CCHS starting right fielder, Owens sees plenty of game action, though she frequently gets subbed for in the closing innings.
Her bat and glove are valuable for the Devilettes — yet nowhere near as valuable as her leadership. That particular trait often comes out as cheers from the dugout, but it transcends to other areas.
"Her team spirit is what keeps us motivated, keeps all of us motivated," Gillespie said. "She works really hard and this sport is very, very important to her."
There is no doubt that Owens enjoys herself on the diamond.
If you can't see it on her smiling face, you can certainly hear it.
"I'm just loud and coach says I'm always there to help everybody when they get down to help them back up," Owens said.
An added bonus of the very vocal encouragement is that the opposition usually despises it.
While the Devilettes' foes try to block out the constant cheering and chanting, it normally proves impossible. It is rare that an inning go by without the opposing dugout offering a comment, or a pitcher stealing an annoyed glance into the CCHS dugout.
"Some pitchers it really gets to worse than others," Owens said. "We haven't had it where they take it to the umpires, they have given us that look like 'Stop.'"
Owens cannot keep back a smile when discussing that aspect of her team's sing-song attack.
There is a healthy mix of chants aimed supportively at Devilette players, and those playfully toying with opponents.
"It's not like to be bad sports, it's just a lot of help for our other players," Owens explained.
The cheers themselves, Owens said, have been devised during years of playing softball.
And for this Culpeper team, years of playing softball together. The 2008 Devilettes feature a massive senior class, and most members of that class have been together during several seasons.
"I've been with most of these girls for years, we're all like sisters," Owens said. "I love them to death."
The feeling appears mutual, from Owens' teammates up through the coaches. Gillespie, for one, had no problem raving about her senior outfielder.
"The coaches and I have talked about that it should not always be the best player that's your captain, someone like her should be the captain, someone that can lead the team with her spirit," Gillespie said. "And she does a good job."
The musical reviews may not be as good, but that never stopped The Brittany Owens Experience featuring the Devilettes from taking center stage.
"We have fun," Owens said. "I just kind of take the role and go with it."
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