Every year in Omaha at the College World Series there are some unique and funky traditions that get some extra oxygen, with the eyes of the sport all in one spot as a champion is decided.
There have been some weird traditions established over the years, from rally possums to rides on hotel luggage carts through the dugout.
This year you might see something that’ll catch your eye if you glance up into the stands at Charles Schwab Field Omaha: a smattering of very, very pink hats on top of blue T-shirts. Kentucky fans have established their own tradition as they take on Omaha for the first time.
One Kentucky fan explained the new College World Series tradition to Hurrdat Sports.
“Some of the guys in the dugout just started wearing the pink hat,” the fan said. “Once we saw it and we kept winning and winning and winning everybody in the stands just started wearing it, so now it’s just part of Kentucky blue is pink. Pink hat.”
The tradition started when Kentucky tried to force itself into playing a little bit looser after a particularly poor stretch of play.
Star pitcher Mason Moore was the one who got the idea of wearing the pink hat, and he gave it the debut in the middle of the season. Slowly, Kentucky fans started catching on and wearing pink hats of their own.
“Coach (Nick Mingione) just told the players that they need to show more energy and just get weird, so that’s been our mantra,” the fan at the College World Series explained. “We have the best dugout in the country and we just get weird. And it’s only weird if it doesn’t work, and it’s been working. Go ‘Cats!”
It has certainly been working.
Kentucky has advanced to its first-ever College World Series by sweeping both the Lexington Regional and the Lexington Super Regional, riding a five-game winning streak to Omaha.
Whether the Wildcats can keep the momentum rolling, or stay ‘weird,’ remains to be seen. But it’s certainly been a fun journey, one that fans are getting into in quite a unique way.
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