Eye black is used in many sports to keep the sunlight out of athletes’ eyes. Athletes routinely apply eye black in unique patterns on their faces for game days. Some athletes are using the eye black for more than blocking out the sun, but as a good luck routine to insure ensure success.

Sacramento State softball is very superstitious, with each player having her own game routine. Four players have one game day tradition in common, which is to wear excessive eye black.

“We all wear it because its good luck for us and we have to have the same person put it on us all the time,” Alcala said.

The players on the softball team who wear the eye black are senior Molly Smith, juniors Taylor Stroud and Yesenia Alcala and sophomore Alexa Chattleton.

The players put the eye black on both eyes or one eye depending on their preference. The design of the eye black is a straight line with two lines that tail down the face.

However, it’s not new that a group of Sac State softball players have worn this way. When Smith was a freshman she was asked to wear the eye black by then-sophomore Alyssa Nakken.

Some may say superstition is in the players’ heads. Alcala said she will never go a game without the eye black on after the double header against Saint Mary’s.

For instance, Alcala went 2-3 against the University of Pacific with the eye black on Feb. 12th. Alcala did not wear the eye black and she went 0-6 in the double-header against Saint Mary’s on Feb. 16th.

The group of four said the eye black doesn’t work unless Nicole Clark puts it on their faces; it cannot be anyone else.

“Clark is the one person that puts it on our faces, if she is not available it messes with the superstition,” Chattleton said.

The Hornets don’t wear the eye black because of the famous baseball star, Bryce Harper, but because it brings the team closer together when they wear it.

“Last year it was a team bonding thing, but now we do it because it works for us,” Smith said.

There were more involved in the eye-black-wearing last season, and the early part of this season. But those who didn’t have the best of starts to this season stopped wearing the eye black like senior third baseman Emily McCormick.

Alcala says, as a group, we wear the eye black because not only does it look awesome on the four of them. But it looks like the group has worn it all day.

“We smear it because it makes it look dirty, like we have been playing a game already,” Smith said. “If we don’t smear the eye black before the game and leave it normal, then the eye black would smear all over our faces.”

Maybe the eye black trend could catch on at games and not just for the players.

“I think it would be awesome to see the kids wear the eye black like we do and come to the games,” Smith said.

 

Clifton can be reached on Twitter at @jonesSHsports