Baseball team enjoys costumed Halloween game

Jeremiah Martinez

It wasn’t an ordinary day at the ballpark on Friday.

Sacramento State baseball held its third annual Halloween game at John Smith Field, which features players dressed in costume.

The costume selection from the team featured Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan from the animated series “South Park;” Wayne and Garth from the film “Wayne’s World;” NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.; the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Superman; and an ostrich racer.

It also featured infielders/outfielders pitching and pitchers hitting, who normally don’t have at-bats at the collegiate level.

Sac State coach Reggie Christiansen also dressed up for the occasion as Tom Hanks’ character Jimmy Dugan from the film “A League Of Their Own.”

“It’s something to do to make it fun and laugh at each other,” Christiansen said. “Baseball is just a game, sometimes you make it more than that. Today we just wanted to make sure that we just remind ourselves that you could laugh at each other and yourself. We’ll practice tomorrow and finish up [fall ball].”

Christiansen also pitched in the final inning of the game.

Freshman left-handed pitcher Kurt Johnson dressed as an ostrich racer and said he wanted to play the game in a costume as the funniest thing he saw.

Johnson also said he had a tough time running in the costume.

“It was really hard,” Johnson said. “I felt like I was going to trip every second.”

Senior pitcher Tyler Beardsley’s costume choice was Dale Earnhardt Jr. and he pulled up in a John Deere Gator Utility Vehicle for his first at-bat.

“I didn’t think of [doing] it until I got here,” Beardsley said. “I noticed we have the Gator out here, so I thought it’d be a cool entrance.”

The team will finish fall practice on Saturday and will begin the 2016 season on the road against Auburn from Feb. 19-21.