baseball-d1 flag

Wayne Cavadi | NCAA.com | April 11, 2019

How Houston baseball has channeled the power of Thor

Mississippi State and the rally banana

College baseball is full of superstitions, traditions and sometimes odd adopted mascots that teams rally behind. Whether it was Kentucky's memorable cup cap, Texas A&M's ball chant, or Mississippi State's rally banana, there's always a little something giving an extra push.

Houston baseball has turned to the Mighty Thor.

COLLEGE BASEBALL RANKINGS: UCLA on top Weekend takeaways of top 25 action

The Cougars have slugged 33 home runs this year. And when one leaves the park, they raise Thor's hammer in celebration.

Senior Joe Davis started the trend. His brother made the hammer sometime ago. "At first they were a little hesitant," Davis told Houston Athletics. "I think when the first person hit the home run and the hammer got used, they were instantly hooked. The crowd got into it, and it became a little tradition."

Davis had his memorable hammer moment of the season back on March 10. It was Davis' sixth home run of the season, and it came in walk-off fashion to give the Cougars a victory — and series sweep — over Army. He leads the Cougars with 14 home runs and is second in The American, so he is clearly worthy of lifting the hammer.

Only problem? "When the adrenaline is pumping you don't realize how heavy it is," Davis said. "But when you need to tote it around for a while, you're like, 'man, this thing weighs me down pretty good.'"

It truly is the hammer of Thor. Hear more from Davis and the origins of the hammer and see some of the mighty celebrations below.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HISTORY: Winningest coaches | Most appearances

Top 10 men’s track and field performances before NCAA preliminaries

Here's a ranking of the top-10 performances in men's track and field as conference championships have wrapped and NCAA preliminary meets are up next.
READ MORE

Inside how two No. 1 seeds, and their opponents, made history in the men's NCAA tournament Friday night

Saturday and Sunday will feature the first Elite Eight in the men's NCAA tournament history with no No. 1 seeds.
READ MORE

No No. 1 seeds make the Elite Eight for the first time in NCAA tournament history

For the first time in DI men's basketball history, no No. 1 seed will play in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Here's how 2023 became one of the maddest of any March Madness.
READ MORE
Division I
Baseball Championship
June 14 - 24, 2024
Charles Schwab Field Omaha | Omaha, NE