WHOOP! It’s the most wonderful time of the year – baseball season!
Being a student at Texas A&M comes with an inherent love for the university’s traditions. Whether it’s Midnight Yell, Fish Camp, or Pull Out Day, many become second nature to any former student.
That being said, another love that is built into the hearts of Aggies is for our athletics games. Of course we are known for our football game-day spirit with the run out song, loud yells, and rally towels. But every sports game at Texas A&M has their own unique traditions as well, including baseball.
So sit back, relax and cheer on your Aggies this spring. But first, here’s what you need to know before attending your first Aggie baseball game.
Bubbles!
Whether you know the rules of baseball like the back of your hand or this is your first game ever, everyone knows that home runs are a good thing (when they’re for your team, of course)! Olsen Field has one of the most special ways to celebrate an Aggie home run – BUBBLES! Because of this, bubble blowers and plastic bubble tubes are allowed into the stadium. So celebrate the score by blowing some bubbles, and be sure to have your cameras out. Some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken throughout my time in Aggieland have been in Olsen Field surrounded by bubbles.
BALL 5 (or more)!!!
Arguably one of the most recognizable traditions at Aggie baseball games is the “Ball 5” chant. This occurs when the opposing team’s pitcher throws our batter 4 balls (non-strikes) in a row. After this, the entire crowd will start yelling “BALL 5! BALL 5! BALL 5!” over and over until the next pitch is thrown. If the next throw is a strike, the chant ends. But if the next pitch is a ball again, the cheer goes up to “BALL 6! BALL 6! BALL 6!” and so on until the pitcher finally throws a strike.
Here is a fun video of the chant from a game back in 2016. Although the chant may sound annoying here, it is SO fun to do when you’re in the stands:
Choo Choo! How many engines??
If you live in College Station, you may have a love-hate relationship with the train. It may make you late to class or slow you down on your way to work some days. But there is one place that makes the Aggieland train super fun, and that’s at Blue Bell Park.
When fans first hear the horn blow from a train, everyone holds up the number of yellow engines that they think are pulling the train. The amount typically ranges anywhere from 1-4, so it is a super fun game to play with friends or fans around you to see who gets the right answer.
A fun way that my friends and I raise the stakes is by keeping track of how many we get right throughout the entire season. Just by simply keeping track on an iPhone notes page makes this tradition even more exciting.
Sausage Race = the actual game
This is by far one of the most hilarious and competitive parts of the whole baseball game, and that’s the Slovacek’s Sausage Race. In the middle of the fourth inning, there is an animated race between three sausages: Beefy Sausage, JalapeƱo Sausage, and Summer Sausage.
This is probably one of the times that Olsen will be the LOUDEST since everyone in the crowd is cheering for their favorite sausage. Although this may sound juvenile, like everything else in Aggieland, “from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it”.
the war hym, of course!
This somewhat goes without saying, but there is one song that always plays at every Aggie sporting event — the War Hymn! At the beginning (and end if an Aggie victory) of each game, “saw Varsity’s horns off” with the rest of the Aggie baseball fans.
These traditions are just a few of the reasons why Aggie Baseball games are so special. If you’re curious about any more game-day traditions at Blue Bell Park (trust me, there’s more!), visit this article to learn more.