Baseball is a sport where tradition is king. America's Pastime holds practices like the seventh-inning stretch, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and the ceremonial first pitch near and dear to its heart.
At the college baseball level, there's one chant that stands out above the rest. Teams entering College Station's Blue Bell Park to take on the Texas A&M University Aggies know exactly the one.
It instills fear in opposing pitchers. It shakes them to their cores. More than anything, it looks like an absolute blast to take part in.
TAMU's "Ball 5" chant is every opposing pitcher's worst nightmare.
Texas A&M's "Ball 5" Chant
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Texas A&M is a school that loves its history and traditions. Somewhere along the way, baseball fans of the SEC team began a chant that screws with every pitcher who encounters it.
When an opposing pitcher throws a four-pitch walk against the Aggies, the fans began chanting "ball five." Thousands of rowdy fans are not only counting how many pitches the man on the mound has thrown out of the strike zone. They're predicting the next one will be a ball as well.
In a 2016 NCAA Baseball Super Regional game against TCU, Texas A&M baseball fans showed the world just how terrific this chant is. The chant got up to "ball eight" before the opposing pitcher finally found the zone, to which the fans cheered for.
In 2019, Texas A&M fans relentlessly chanted again despite being up 10-1.
Texas A&M?s ?Ball Five? chant is the best tradition in college baseball ? (via @AggieBaseball) pic.twitter.com/z3R87IhtYG
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) February 17, 2019
TAMU's "Ball 12" Grand Slam vs. Mississippi State
The "Ball Five" chant may have been at its peak in 2017, however.
The Aggies were playing the Mississippi State Bulldogs. An intentional walk to TAMU hitter Nick Choruby loaded the bases and, of course, began one of the most lethal chants in college sports.
Ball five came and went. So did ball six, seven and eight, which walked in a run. Nine, 10 and 11 came before Mississippi State had to go to a reliever, who finally ended the chant at "Ball 12" by throwing a strike.
On the next pitch, Braden Shewmake cranked a grand slam that sent the fans in College Station into a frenzy. Talk about putting ball 12 into the "12th Man."
The Texas A&M fan base is ruthless. NCAA and SEC pitchers know when they're heading there for a road game, throwing four straight balls to a batter is a no-no. It's only a matter of time before other teams steal the ball chant and give new meaning to home field advantage.
