42 Walk-Up Songs Guaranteed to Get Your Team Pumped Up

An easy to use list (with song links) of Rock, Country, Rap, Top 40 and Christian warm-up music and walk-up songs for baseball and softball.

I am THE WORST at thinking of songs on demand. I love music, and I love all kinds of music, but if you ask me to list my 5 favorite songs, I’ll probably just stare at you and blink. That’s actually how I decided to publish this list! Looking for songs myself, I asked my friends and on the Facebook page for everyone’s favorite walk-up songs and decided to put my favorites in one spot.

WARNING: Some of these songs contain explicit lyrics. Be sure to find the “radio version” of the song before adding it to your team’s playlist.

Rock
1. Thunderstruck – AC/DC
2. Black Betty – Ram Jam
3. No Sleep Till Brooklyn – Beastie Boys
4. Shoot to Thrill – AC/DC
5. Crazy Train – Ozzy Osborne
6. I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister
7. Enter Sandman – Metallica
8. Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
9. Start Me Up – Rolling Stones
10. Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard
11. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
12. Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses

11 Must-Haves at the Ballpark

A comprehensive list of what baseball moms need at the ballpark. From wagons to portable fans, this list covers all the must-haves (with a few laughs too!)

1. A Folding Wagon
Nothing says Baseball Mom Level: Expert like a folding wagon. If you want to be taken seriously at the ballpark, you have to have a folding wagon. Period.

2. Folding Chairs
Bleachers are sooooo tee-ball. You’re not cool until you bring your own chair. Bonus points are awarded as follows:

10 points - You still know where the bag is
15 points - You still know where the bag is AND you actually use it
20 points - Your chair cost more than $12 and your butt isn’t sagging 4 inches from the ground
25 points - Your chair matches the team colors
40 points - Your chair is a rocker
50 points - Your chair has hydraulic anything on it

3. Soft Coolers
If you’re not smuggling in ham sandwiches and Gatorade in monogrammed, color-coordinated soft coolers you will never make any friends here.

4. Yeti Coolers
Simply put, rolling up into the ballpark with a Yeti just says, "We don’t f@#% around."

Team Mom 101: How to be a Great Team Mom

First things first: There are Team Dads too. And if you knew me well, you would know I am an independent woman who doesn’t believe in gender-specific roles or limitations. My husband does laundry and I do our taxes. But since there are waaaaay more Team Moms out there than Team Dads, I’m addressing this to the moms. Okidokie, Smokey? 😏

The Team Mom can make or break your experience with a team. If you have a great Team Mom, go get her some Starbucks and tell her how much you appreciate her. I absolutely took great Team Moms for granted until I had a bad one and spent the first month of the season mining information out of her and banging my face into the wall.

The A-#1 rule for a great Team Mom is COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! Parents shouldn’t have to ask you too many questions because you’ve already anticipated those questions, gotten answers or direction from the coach or league and communicated it to your team.

I’m going to write this post as it pertains to rec ball (county recreation, Little league, Dixie Youth, etc.) so a lot of this won’t pertain to travel or club ball (note to self: write a Travel Ball Team Mom post sometime soon). This comes from my experience as both a Team Mom and a baseball/softball parent for nine years. If I’ve forgotten something, please let me know!

STEP ONE – CREATE A TEXT GROUP AND AN EMAIL LIST

The first thing you need to do it collect cell phone numbers and email addresses for all the parents. Create a Group Text and Email List with all the parents. Don’t assume Dad doesn’t want to know about softball bows or mom doesn’t want to know about batting practice. If someone wants off your distribution list, they’ll let you know.

STEP TWO – ADDRESS THE BIG STUFF WITH YOUR TEAM

Following are several important topics you will likely need to address with your team. Find out how (or if?) your league handles these, communicate with your coach (always get your coach’s buy-in before you address the team on the BIG STUFF), then get the information to your parents.

Uniforms
Leagues will issue basic uniform attire and rely on the parents to provide the rest. Some will only provide a shirt while others provide more. Determine what your league is providing then work with the coach to determine exactly what the parents will need to acquire ASAP. Often pants need to be ordered online or hemmed so allow ample time for parents. You will also need to find out what protective gear is required by the league and ensure each player has what s/he needs. If a team order is being placed for specialized or personalized items, communicate that as well.

Baseball Parent or Baseball PITA? Dos and Don’ts for Being a Great Ball Parent

OK, so when my kids first started playing sports there was A LOT I didn’t know. Most things I figured out along the way but I’m sure there were times over the years I was a PITA (pain in the a**) to a coach or my kid. I would like to have seen a list like this way back then before I fell into some of these ditches.

Being a “great ball parent” might not seem that important to you but, aside from the obvious reasons, one thing parents need to think about is how THEIR behavior may affect both their child and his or her opportunities.

Let’s say there’s one spot left on the all-star team or that crackerjack travel ball team you’d love to play for and there are three equally talented kids up for the spot. I can tell you from experience and from close friendships with coaches over the years, the kid with the PITA parents ain’t getting that spot. When all else is equal, coaches will look at the parents. Those parents who foster sportsmanship, let the coaches do their job, who show up ready for practice, who are pleasant and easy to get along with, etc. are who the coaches will lean toward.

13 Dos and Don’ts for Being a Great Ball Parent

3 UP, 3 DOWN RULE - Packing Lunches for Tournaments

One of the most common conversations I’ve heard among parents whose kids play softball and baseball (or soccer or any other sport where doubleheaders and tournaments are common) is about what the players should be eating for lunch between games.

We’ve all seen our team come out strong in that first game to then come out at the second one to look like they’ve never even seen a baseball, much less know what to do with it. The same kids who were just turning double-plays and hitting bombs now look like they just need a nap. And maybe a hug.

Our first season of travel ball was a learning experience on so many levels, one of which was learning what NOT to eat between games. I’m a good cook. Feeding people is my thing. It’s how I show people I love and care about them so on game day, I’d show up at the ballpark loaded down like a pack mule with enough food and provisions to survive a nuclear holocaust.

I quickly noticed that the more the boys ate between games, the more sluggish they were. Well, duh, right? I don’t know why I didn’t see that coming. The same is true for us. If we eat too much or eat the wrong foods at lunch it makes us sluggish so of course the same would be true for our kids.

Let me be very clear here: I am NOT a nutritionist or doctor or anyone professionally trained in these matters but I CAN share with you my thoughts and opinions based on my own experiences as well as information found in the sources at the end of this post. What works for my kids and the kids on their teams may not work for everyone but I can assure you it’s what works best for us.

Simply stated, I stick with a 3 UP, 3 DOWN rule when packing lunches for tournaments.