Indicated by the jerseys displayed on the left-field wall at Ivey-Watson, home of Gainesville High School baseball, only two players in the success-laden history of the program rose to a level of individual excellence that ensured others would want to build on their legacy: Cris Carpenter and Micah Owings.

Now the two men linked by a unique ability to stand out from the herd in skill and want to meet a standard set by Gainesville’s tradition of athletic excellence, take on the role of ensuring future Red Elephants vie to do the same.

Named by Gainesville High School Athletics Director Adam Lindsey, 1984 graduate Carpenter is Red Elephant baseball’s new head coach and Owings, who graduated in 2002, the director of program operations.

“This isn’t about bringing in two former professional athletes so our student-athletes can learn what it takes to play at that level,” said Lindsey. “This is about bringing in two former Red Elephant athletes who are going to instill what it takes to play to the level of excellence on which Gainesville baseball built its reputation.

Carpenter was pitching coach to both Micah and his brother Jon Mark while the two were leading Gainesville to back-to-back state titles in 2001 and 2002, but before that, he was a three-sport athlete for the Red Elephants. Among the many accolades earned, the one that best describes the legacy he built is his Georgia Athlete of the Year award, won his senior year after he led football to the state semifinals as quarterback, basketball to its second-straight state title as point guard, and baseball to a region title. A two-time all-American relief pitcher at the University of Georgia, Carpenter spent eight seasons in Major League Baseball after being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft.

“It’s always been an honor to be a part of Gainesville baseball and be a Red Elephant,” Carpenter said. “Having been gone (from coaching) since 2005, it’s going to be great to be back out there, and a special honor to get to do it with two guys I coached.”

Owings spent just two years at GHS, but his impact was long-lasting and historic. In his junior and senior baseball seasons Owings led the Red Elephants to state championships amassing a 24-2 record as a starting pitcher while hitting 40 home runs, a state record 25 in 2002. He was named Georgia Player of the Year and a first-team high school All-American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

“Today is a great day to be a Red Elephant, a blessed day,” Owings said. “It’s been 20 years since I’ve put the Gainesville uniform on, and it’s a blessing to get to wear it once again alongside my best friends Carp and Jon Mark. This opportunity goes deeper for me because it means giving back to the community that gave so much to me, and has remained my home. There is no greater tradition that I know of in sports than the Red Elephant tradition and I’m ready to work.”

Despite being drafted in the second round by the Colorado Rockies in the 2002 MLB June Amateur Draft, Owings pushed the pros to play for his father’s alma mater, Georgia Tech. In 2003 was named ACC Rookie of the Year and first-team All-ACC. In 2004 he transferred to Tulane University where the following season, his only one for the Green Wave, he was named Conference USA Player of the Year, but led the team to the College World Series. Owings spent six seasons in the Major Leagues after the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted him in the third round of the 2005 MLB June Amateur Draft.

To read Cris Carpenter’s Faces of Hall County click here.