Simple. No pressure there.
“Pressure is all what you perceive it to be,” Crowell said. “I strongly believe that a lot of this is their mentality, and if we’re able to raise that bar, I believe our results will show that out on the field.”
Not surprisingly, she holds a psychology degree from Virginia Tech. Crowell lettered all four years as a player for the Hokies, earning a spot on the All-Big East Conference second team as a senior third baseman in 2002.
Crowell is 32, but could and does pass for younger.
“I was traveling home the other day,” she said. “I was reading the NCAA rule books and a gentleman on the plane saw me and said, ‘Do you still play?’ I guess maybe I still look young, but I’m not as young as people make me out to be.”
Crowell does have that youthful enthusiasm and determination. She played that way. She coaches that way.
“It’s not like I was a timid player and now I’m an intense coach,” Crowell said. “I was just as intense playing as I am coaching. My kids have learned that my tone always comes out the same whether I’m telling them good things or bad things.
“I’m a perfectionist. I want people to watch my team and say they’re gritty. I want gritty players who play hard. If it takes 15 innings to win a game, then we’ll play 15 innings to win a game. It comes down to attitude and effort. I don’t know how to have it any other way.”
She spent her early years in Hawaii and still calls it home, though Crowell moved to the mainland when she was 12 and grew up in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
She coached two years at Ohio while finishing her master’s degree in recreation and sports sciences, one year at Syracuse and the last six at Oklahoma State.
At OSU, where she worked primarily with the pitchers and catchers, Crowell helped the Cowgirls reach the College World Series in 2011.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my career path,” she said. “I’m very happy and excited to be here at Miami. I know that we can do great things. The best thing about Miami is the people that are here. Miami has a very different culture than I’ve been used to in the past, but I’ve definitely embraced it.”
The RedHawks began the Crowell era with a 1-4 record at the Georgia Tech Classic last weekend. They’ll travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., this weekend for the Frost Classic, opening against Eastern Kentucky on Friday at 11 a.m.
Miami went 41-20 under Kelly Kovach Schoenly last season. She departed to become the head coach at Ohio State.
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