A Sooner Magical experience for super fan James Owens

OMAHA, Neb. - Maybe you've seen him running up and down the aisles of Charles Schwab Field. If not, you might have heard him in Gainesville or Blacksburg.

He would be hard to miss. A super fan of sorts. Decked out in Sooners gear from head to toe it's been a way of life since James Owens can remember.

"Born and raised. Graduated from Ketchum (High School) and just always been a Sooner fan," said Owens on Friday afternoon following the Sooners final practice before the start of this weekend's Men's College World Series Championship Series. "Went to the Marine corps instead of going to college so just have followed them forever."

A story no different than a number of Oklahomans that have followed the Sooner Schooner to Omaha this weekend. But this story is different. It's about a super fan. It's about baseball families. The love for cheering on their sons. And a run through the postseason that brought them together.

It starts a few weeks back in Gainesville.

"Five weeks ago me and my family moved from Grove, Oklahoma to Augusta, Georgia. So when I seen that they were playing in Florida I told my wife, 'let's go. Why not?," said Owens. "Five and a half hour trip so we made it and left during the rain delay. You know we would have had to get another hotel. We had been there for two days already."

Even though the five hour rain delay sent the Owens family back to Georgia it saved Oklahoma's season.

"So we went home. Got the girls in bed just in time to catch the last two innings and I'm sitting there like, 'Man, they're going to be playing at Virginia Tech'. And I'm already looking up at how far away it is. It was five hours so I told my wife, 'when are we ever going to go to Virginia and watch OU baseball?," said Owens

They were headed to Blacksburg. But what were they to do about tickets?

"So we got there (Blacksburg) and it's sold out and I'm sitting there outside with my two girls. And I went and talked to Logan (Johnson) at the will call and I was like, 'hey what section are the parents in?' because we wanted to sit with them. In Gainesville we got to know the Nicklaus', the Crooks' and the Grahams'," said Owens.

The Blacksburg Super Regional was sold out. There weren't any tickets to be had.

"In Gainesville we got tickets easily. It wasn't sold out. So we got there (Blacksburg) and it's sold out and I'm sitting there outside with my two girls," said Owens. "As I'm sitting there he walks back out and he's like, 'how many do you need?' I said four. He said we have a parent that is not going to be able to make it. Here's four tickets."

The Owens' were in. And not only would they have tickets for game one of the Super Regional but they would have tickets for the rest of the weekend. Call it luck. Call it a bit of their own Sooner Magic.

"When we won (the super regional) Cathy (Johnson) grabbed my hand and was like you're going on the field with me so she took me down on the field and the boys were like, 'Omaha right? Omaha!'"

Trips to Omaha aren't cheap. Trips to Omaha the week after back-to-back weekend road trips to Gainesville and Blacksburg are especially not cheap. Oklahoma was moving on but Owens wouldn't be able to afford a trip Nebraska. No way. Not on a teacher's salary.

That's when James Owens new friends stepped in.

"So as I'm with the boys after we won Jimmy Crooks' Mom, Michele, and Cathy were talking to my wife and they ended up getting my wife's Venmo and Michele sent out a message, I guess, to some of the parents about helping me get here."

The word was sent through an e-mail. Michele Crooks, with 18-years of experience as an executive assistant, is used to putting together these kinds of things.

"We met him Gainesville and it really kind of escalated in Virginia and that was because he's like this super fan. He was like the energy," said Crooks. "That energy went to the players on the field. He was so close and he was so loud. I mean he got all of us. All 40 of us. We were just this one itty bitty square of fans, really, and he had his wife and two little precious baby girls with him."

"We were all on the field. Some of the coaches wives were like, 'we need to get them to Omaha.' Like it would be awesome if they could make it to Omaha. So I told his wife I couldn't guarantee anything but I could at least get their information and get it out there and see what happens."

"I used the bit of resources that I had and some of the higher ups were able to give me all the parents information and I sent one email out with all of her information kind of with the prerequisite of, you know I said I would get this going and that there didn't need to be a response. It was either going to be a yes or no if they could but that James didn't ask for any of this."

An impromptu-fundraiser to get the Sooners' super fan to Omaha had begun and spread like wildfire.

"I literally didn't know. I got her account and sent out the email and whoever put money into it put money into it but I didn't know. I didn't know the dollar amount. It was just there. If he could make it. That was perfect. We didn't put him up or anything but I had done what I said I was going to do. That's my forte."

$1,300 later James Owen's trip to Omaha had become a reality. The money had been raised unbeknownst to Michele and the Sooner baseball family that made it possible.

The power of friendships made over a college baseball team and a run to the national title.

"Just to watch the boys and the way they've been able to go out everyday. They act like this is their house," said Owens. "Like they're supposed to be here. They got that confidence. It's so neat to watch and see in them. I love, right now, their two strike approach. Two strike approach they are like, 'we're getting a hit. We got two outs? Don't worry we're going to still score runs' It's magical."

As Oklahoma players exited the field on Friday afternoon there stood James. Skip Johnson had stopped to say hi during practice. What's up Tred? Go get em PG. Keep it up, Spike.

They were meant to be here playing for a national title. He was meant to be here cheering them on.

"He's where he's supposed to be," says Crooks.