MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Baseball is a famously superstitious sport.
With Southern Miss riding a now-a-program-best 17-game winning streak that has now carried into the postseason, it has created some necessary quirks for players as well as the coaching staff.
Head coach Christian Ostrander is one of the most visible examples. He began wearing eyeglasses when the streak began and has since only worn them for game days.
After Southern Miss’ last loss to Georgia State back on April 18, Ostrander had a sinus infection that infected his eye and was forced to stop temporarily wearing his contacts.
“I had a bad sinus infection, and I woke up on Saturday morning, and my eye was infected,” Ostrander said. “The doctor said that’s probably from the sinus infection, so don’t wear your contacts for a while. Come Sunday, I put my glasses on, and the rest is history. We haven’t lost since.
“At the end of that week, we had won some games, and it stacked up. (Matthew) Russo said, ‘Coach, you can’t put the contacts back in. Keep those on for as long as we are winning.’”
Since the streak began the day he wore the glasses, that temporary move has become more permanent.
“Trust me, I would much rather be wearing sunglasses when the sun is out, but I’ll do anything for these guys,” Ostrander said. “I’m not a big fan of (the glasses) on the baseball field, but it’s part of baseball having some fun with it and being superstitious.”
Still, the oddities don’t slow down for the coaching staff. Third base coach Travis Creel has been forced to wear a long-sleeve shirt every game. That was a fine decision in mid-April, but with the heat index shooting to 90-plus degrees, it's now an unwanted burden.
First base coach Ben Brewer won’t shave despite his beard getting too long for his liking.
Strength coach Todd Makovicka has to chew a different piece of gum every inning now, forcing him to keep an endless supply of packs of 5 Gum with him.
“It drives my wife crazy,” he remarks.
Assistant coach Ladd Rhodes is so superstitious, he won’t even share his rituals out loud — for fear of upsetting the baseball gods.
The players have their own habits, too. Third baseman Drey Barrett and left fielder Ben Higdon both have to wear eye black for every game now.
“We put on eye black at the same time,” Barrett said. “There are night games and cloudy games where I’m wearing eye black, and it looks stupid.
“We put it on at the same time. I put it on before him, and he does it after me.”
Some are also not overly superstitious but stay mindful of keeping things the same.
Catcher Tucker Stockman has to wear his black batting gloves for pregame batting practice but trades them out for his white one in the game. Shortstop Ozzie Pratt won’t trade out his batting gloves or cleats despite the obvious wear and tear, while designated hitter Joey Urban is meticulous in that he only follows the same routine each game day, but he won’t go as far as to keep wearing the same socks or clothing.
Center fielder Carson Paetow also claims not to be superstitious either, but before each pre-game batting practice, he has to drink a Cotton Candy flavored Bang energy drink. He trades that for peach mango the next day and then returns to cotton candy – a flavorful cycle he enjoys.
Not everyone buys into superstition. Most notably pitchers Colby Allen and Matt Adams, who were quick to explain the difference between physically preparing your body with a routine compared to superstitious deeds.
“Our routine is scripted,” Adams said. “Putting my left sock on before my right doesn’t make me play better, but preparing my body does.”
Even Sun Belt Player of the Year Nick Monistere also claims to not be superstitious, but first baseman Matthew Russo was quick to point out that the duo wears bracelets that read, “Jesus loves you.”
Earlier this year, the flu plagued the team during the road trip to Marshall, and the duo needed to take a doctor’s visit, and each was handed the bracelets afterward. Monistere began wearing it and went on a 10-game tear that featured nine home runs. That prompted Russo to also put the bracelet on.
Perhaps the most interesting superstition, or lack thereof, is skeptic Jake Cook. He most recently traded out his bat for a yellowish-lime green one that is the same model as his old bat. The center fielder had only homered once this season, which was the first time since he was the age of 13. Since trading out bats, Cook has homered twice in the Sun Belt tournament.
“I just like the color,” Cook said. “It’s the same model. It’s just a different color.
“It’s just a stick at the end of the day.”
Although Cook claims he is not superstitious, he ironically battles being superstitious by purposely changing things so that he doesn’t fall into a routine.
“If I do something one night and have a good game the next day, then I’m trying to do something different the next day, so it doesn’t get into my routine,” Cook explained. “That way, if I can’t do it one night, then it’s not going to get in the way since I’m not superstitious.”
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