Every home game, coach and U.S. Government teacher Mark Thomas can be heard over the loudspeakers announcing the names of players as they step up to the plate. However, when the bottom of the 5th inning rolls around a special song can be heard from the press box.

“A little history about take me out to the ball game: when I was in high school, this was back in the days of cable, WOR would carry the cubs game every afternoon, and so my friends and we would come home from school and throw on the cubs game,” coach Mark Thomas said. “We would obviously watch the game, but the great part about it was during the 7th inning stretch Harry Carey, the play by play announcer for the cubs, would singing take me out to the ball game and the whole crowd would sing and he would lean out of the booth and we all loved it so much. When I started announcing for the Redhawks I thought boy it would be really cool if I could recreate that kind of a childhood memory for me and it gets the fans up and singing and to maybe add something to the game that others schools don’t do.”

While this may just seem like another baseball tradition it often has a positive effect on the players playing the game.

“It means a lot because he is the only one in the district who does it,” varsity baseball player Edward Zeng said. “All the major league teams do it in the 7th inning but we only have 7 innings so he does it in the fifth inning and it might be a little bit embarrassing but its funny and its good and coach Thomas has the voice of an angel.”

Reporting for WTV I’m Ben Anderson.