Just call them a quirky team

By Justin Graves
jgraves@cullmantimes.com

May 10, 2008 12:57 am

— Like every other player on Cullman High’s softball team, Lacey Cork has a gameday routine.
During warm-ups before every game, Lacey has to win the last sprint. And if the senior center fielder isn’t the first player across the finish line, she makes the team run again.
Lacey likes to win, but that’s not why she has to finish first in the team’s final warm-up sprint. The senior has to beat her teammates because, well, that’s what she’s always done.
“I always have to win the last one,” she said. “That’s my routine, and I’m not changing it now.”
While Lacey has one of the more quirky gameday routines, she isn’t the only Cullman High player that’s superstitious. In fact, every player except Emilee Segroves has at least one superstition they refuse to break.
Whether it be the color of their socks or the food they eat, Cullman’s softball team is loaded with superstitious players. And while they all know a pregame routine doesn’t affect their play on the field, it appears no one wants to become a jinx.
“Have you seen our record?” freshman left fielder Abbie Knight said. “Why would we break our routine? That would be crazy.”
Just like her sister, Lesley Cork is a little superstitious.
The junior right fielder always has three batting gloves on her when she goes to the plate, and she goes through the exact same routine — taking three practice swings — every time she steps into the batter’s box.
A superstitious routine isn’t the only thing Lesley uses for good luck. She also has a good-luck charm she keeps with her at all times.
“I’ve got this thing I keep in my shoe,” she said. “It’s this paw print thing that my dad gave me. He said it’s supposed to be a Bearcat paw print, but I don’t think that’s what it is. It’s actually just some thing he found on the ground somewhere, but I keep for good luck.”
The most common gameday superstition among Cullman’s players is the color of their socks. Almost every player said they have a certain pair of socks they wear with their uniforms, and pitcher Elizabeth Buchanan even wears a different color sock on each foot.
But even though most of Cullman’s superstitions are related to clothing, there are still a few players who have a routine they go through before every game.
T.J. Huddleston said she has been spending the night at Jenny Haney’s house before every game since the Lady Bearcats played in the Foley tournament. And when Huddleston and Haney get up in the morning, they both go eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel — which the entire team refers to as “Cracker Harold.”
Like Haney and Huddleston, Cassie Gable has certain things she has to eat before a game. The only catch is when and where she purchases these items.
“I go buy a beef stick and Diet Mountain Dew at Wal-Mart,” she said. “I don’t know why I do that. I just always do.”
Cullman hosts Decatur in a best-of-three sub-state series today at noon. And since there will a spot in the Class 5A state tournament on the line, Lacey doesn’t expect anyone to break their superstitious routines.
“We’re doing everything the same,” she said. “We’re not going to stop now.”