When Liberty softball coach Sam Carrodo called a team meeting one day last month, the Hurricanes thought they were being gathered to review plays; instead, they received unexpected inspiration from a boy named Owen and his dog Haatchi.

Owen Hawkins is a nine-year-old boy from London, England whom Carrodo met on Facebook after watching an ESPN documentary on Owen’s struggle with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a rare muscle disease, which then led to Owen’s agoraphobia.

Haatchi is the Anatolian Shepherd that was adopted by the Hawkins family after Haatchi was purposely tied to a railway line, hit by a train, and lost one of his legs.

The dog changed Owen’s life, Owen changed Carrodo’s life, and together, Owen and Carrodo have changed the lives of the Liberty softball team.

“I was watching this [documentary], and it’s 4:00 in the morning, and I can’t stop crying,” said Carrodo. “It’s a story beyond beautiful and beyond love.”

Haatchi gave Owen his confidence back, no longer withdrawn, fearful of strangers, and anxious at school. Together, they compete in dog shows and win.

At the Hurricane team meeting Carrodo called last month, he showed his softball players the documentary, and then surprised them with bracelets Owen had made just for them, bracelets that took him two months to make. Then, at that same team meeting, the Liberty softball players Skyped with Owen. All three occurrences moved the Hurricanes to tears.

“I have a younger brother his age, and it made me look at things differently and want to push through anything and play for him,” said Liberty second baseman Apryl Cruz. “I definitely appreciate Sam doing this for us.”

Near the end of the Skype session, Owen yelled to the girls, “Beat Easton!”

“It made us take a step back, knowing how he struggles, and do it for him,” said Liberty center fielder Reyna DeJesus. “Keep fighting and winning, just like him.”

On Apr. 24, the Hurricanes did, in fact, beat Easton 8-3.

“When you see Owen in so much pain, you want to play well all the time, and coach Sam has Owen’s name on his hat, so I always see it,” said Liberty right fielder Mikayla Ruppert.

On Apr. 25, the Hurricanes beat Bethlehem Catholic 12-3.

“I think this changed our perspectives on life. Owen wakes up every day in pain. We want to beat teams for him,” said Liberty pitcher Kyla Benner.

On Apr. 26, the Hurricanes beat Stroudsburg 15-0.

“Owen is with us, and he has inspired these kids to go beyond what they can do,” said Carrodo. “They don’t want to disappoint that little boy. He’s part of our family.”

The Liberty Hurricanes sent Owen a team jacket and sent Haatchi a team shirt. Carrodo and his players asked Owen if they could Skype once a week with him, but Owen told them that once a month would be better because he has to do his homework.

No matter what the outcome of the rest of the season’s games, there is one thing Carrodo wants everyone to know.

“This was all from my heart, not for any credit, just to inspire, and this is a team that doesn’t believe they’re done until the last out is made,” he said.