You get to the 49er Softball Complex about an hour before the game. Word has gotten out about the Long Beach State softball team — the 49ers are 36-13, on their way to one of the best seasons in school history.
You plan accordingly so you can get a good seat. There is already a line to get tickets; next time you know you’ll have to leave earlier. You make your way to the bleachers, passing by small concessions table and merchandise section. You’ve brought your own water and have been looking for an excuse to wear your new 49er apparel.
From the moment you arrive to when the final strike is thrown, you’re blasted with a relentless wave of music. It varies from pop to hip-hop and classic rock to hardcore country. It’s a nice touch for the fans, who’ll start clapping along to the beat, and even a few kids will start rocking out like they’re at their first concert.
The music may be fun for the fans, but it is key to the players’ preparation. It sets the tone, and it is a common belief among them that the right walk-up music — a luxury even the baseball team doesn’t have — can elevate performance.
“I feel like it gets me in the zone,” said shortstop Shayna Kimbrough, whose walk-up music is My Moment by DJ Drama featuring 2Chainz.
“It kind of gets me pumped a little bit,” she said. “I don’t pick my walk-up song based on my favorite song, I pick it based on what’s going to relax me; like what I could think of when I’m at-bat.”
While Kimbrough’s song helps her stay loose while she’s hitting, other players like to use their walk-up music to get into the opposition’s head. First baseman Ashley Holmes, while playing at Tennessee, saw first-hand the impact music can have.
“When I was a freshman, our senior had [Iron Man by Black Sabbath] as a walk-up song, and she was just so intimidating when she walked up,” Holmes said. “I said to myself ‘I kind of want that.’ She would just walk up there with such confidence and badassness to her. I wanted to embody that.”
Third baseman Hannah De Gaetano, while never giving much thought to her walk-up music, admits that it helps put her in a good state mentally.
“Honestly, it has nothing to do with softball. I just think that it’s a really good pump up song,” De Gaetano said. “It has a really strong base.”
De Gaetano’s walk-up music is King Kong by Jibbs.
“I kind of just chose something that I was familiar with and I could sing along to. When I’m up to bat I sing, I don’t sing out loud,” De Gaetano said, breaking into a laugh. “It’s something that’s in my head, so it kind of relaxes me so I’m not thinking so much on the situation in front of me.”
“I can feel it when it’s playing because the bass is so strong. It’s literally blowing my hair back, that’s how loud it is,” De Gaetano said.
De Gaetano hasn’t always used King Kong as her walk-up music. After using it her sophomore season, she changed things up, opting to go with Diva by Beyoncé. She switched back to King Kong for much of the same reason teammate Ashley Holmes chose her song — intimidation.
“I think it’s just because the song is called King Kong, and King Kong’s strong and scary,” De Gaetano said. “I don’t think it’s even for me, I think it’s for the other team to kind of be like ‘Oh sh-t, she’s a badass.”
While the music may get them in the right mindset when they’re up to bat, the players admit that not much went into their initial decision making. Kimbrough was shuffling through her iPod when she chose her song. De Gaetano also chose her own, though she did admit to some outside pressure.
“My parents are old-school and they were trying to get me to do KISS or something old-school,” De Gaetano said. “They gave me suggestions. Rock-and-roll, mostly. It’s not even my type of music. I just stuck with something I was familiar with.”
Walk-up music can’t hit home runs, steal bases or strike out ten batters. A player can’t rely on it to pinch-hit or throw a runner out at home. It won’t turn a bench player into a star. The right music, however, can relax a batter and make him or her comfortable in a spot where comfort is not often found. It can bring a crowd to its feet while also setting the tone for a game.
“[Music] is definitely pretty important. If there’s a good song on I’m just swaying, dancing around and singing,” De Gaetano said. “I’m just loose. Loose on the field, loose at the plate and just having a good time. If you’re having a good time, you’re doing better on the field.”