You Rascal You – Hanni el Khatib
If this song isn’t playing when I’m walking up to bat, my odds of striking out increase by at least 40%. It’s a song full of emphatic energy and a raw but powerful chorus. The song was also playing when I witnessed my first ever car accident — must be a message from the universe. Some players choose a song because they vibe out to it, others because it gets them pumped, but “You Rascal You” fills my veins with enough steroids to hit Harlem home runs all day long.
Feeling Myself – Nicki Minaj ft. Beyoncé
When you’re walking up to the plate, you want the crowd and other team to know that you mean business. Nicki and Queen Bey are artists who prove day-by-day that they mean business. While you do want a good beat to walk to and a song that can boost your confidence — the crowd is the fuel to that fire that’ll make you smash it out of the park. Do the Joey Bats flip and WERK IT as you walk to home plate.
-Kyle McCord
DOWN WITH SICKNESS – DISTURBED
When I was fourteen at summer camp, our counsellors labeled this as “the forbidden song.” Why? Because every time we played it we grabbed our hockey sticks and baseball bats and began smashing everything in the cabin like Donkey Kong meets the Incredible Hulk. The drop makes you want to climb mountains, wrestle lions and battle an army of ninjas while injecting yourself with shark adrenaline. There’d be no better song to play before blasting a ball into the explosive crowd.
-Mitch Consky
I Don’t Fuck With You – Big Sean
One thing’s for sure — fans don’t fuck with haters. That’s why Big Sean’s biggest hit is the best pump-up song when you’re ready to hit that home run. The wondrous line, “Don’t give a fuck about you, or anything that you do,” depicts how the Jay’s just don’t care about the opposing team or their haters — in fact, they do not give a fuck. If this banger is chosen for a walk-up song, let’s just hope the Roger’s Centre broadcasts it uncensored, because there’s nothing worse than trying to pump up the crowd with numerous censoring bleeps.
-Kaitlyn Severin
Number 1 – Nelly
Nothing gets me more pumped up than Nelly ringing in my ears and criticizing anything other than finishing first. Walking up to Nelly is a traditional pump-up song and would no doubt intimidate the pitcher — there’s no way I’m going to miss. The infamous lyric, “Two is not a winner and three nobody remembers,” signals my attitude — I don’t like to lose and I need to come first. This song works two-fold — speaks to my dedicated, determined attitude while intimidating the defence that I will not fail.
Flower – Moby
This soundtrack opener for the movie Gone in 60 Seconds is a song you can strut up to the plate before crushing one out of the park. Its tone gets you pumped up while putting you in a fantastic mood. Why this fits me? The precious car the cast tries to heist in the film is the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. The song screams my name and will help my mood as I perform.
-Shelby Blackley
Marvin’s Room – Drake
For many, choosing a walk-up song is a chance to reflect their prowess and aggression on the plate. My walk-up song choice is more of a tactical decision, which is why I chose Drake’s heartbreaking ballad “Marvin’s Room.”
As Drake croons about the “bitches in [his] old phone,” the defense will find themselves reflecting on their romantic missteps. Overcome with guilt and struggling to hold back tears, the pitcher — and ideally the entire opposing team — will have no choice but to sit the game out. A sprained ankle can be healed in a matter of days —but a broken heart? That’s for life.
-Zach Guitor
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