Jun 9, 2013 5 min read

Following the California baseball team’s 6-3 win over Our Lady of Sacred Heart in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals, Brian Fisher stopped talking long enough to gaze down at the feather he was twirling in his fingers.

Wait a second.

A feather?

What is this, Forrest Gump?

No, not exactly.

But these days, don’t be surprised if someone in California colors brings a box of chocolates to a baseball game.

This postseason run has been awful sweet for the Trojans, and the team has picked up a variety of trinkets, toys and action figures and that players carefully arrange in the dugout before every game.

“We found this at the beginning of the game, and someone put it in my pocket,” Fisher said of the mysterious feather. “Guess I’ll just add it to the collection.”

That collection, started and maintained by center fielder Aaron Previsky, also includes a Slinky Dog from the movie “Toy Story,” a Hornswoggle wrestling action figure and a troll doll.

None of those, however, holds a candle to the prized possession: a Hulk Hogan action figure, contributed by pitching coach Nick Damico.

“As long as he’s there, everything’s fine,” said Previsky, who insists the Hogan figure be kept away from the other three, the group he’s in charge of maintaining.

One time, as Previsky explained, someone forgot the Hulkster prior to the Trojans’ WPIAL Class A quarterfinal against Riverview. Let it go? No way. Previsky sent one of the younger kids running up a hill to the bus at West Mifflin to retrieve the team’s good luck charm. California won the game, 6-4.

“It’s Hulkamania,” Fisher said. “It’s big in California.”

Sure is.

After losing back-to-back section games in mid-April, the Trojans started blasting the wrestler’s entrance song – Rick Derringer’s “Real American” – at their home ballpark, Malden Yards. They regularly refer to each other as “brother,” a subtle nod to one of the former WWF wrestler’s signature words. They are, however, 11-1 since Hulkamania first ran wild.

“I’m sure parents laugh at us,” Previsky said. “I can’t even imagine what other coaches and players think about it.”

Of course, none of this is new to a baseball team riding a wave of momentum.

Think about Pedro Cerrano in “Major League” and his hats-for-bats inspiration, the 2000 Los Angeles Angels’ obsession with the “Rally Monkey” and the chicken bone cross that appeared in “Bull Durham.”

“We’re a very superstitious team,” Previsky said. “Once we find something that works, we stick with it.”

California’s carefree attitude – not to mention strange habits – began to really take root with a 2-1 loss to OLSH in the WPIAL Class A semifinals.

Following that game, head coach Don Hartman thought his team was tight and pleaded with them to relax.

Seems as though that has happened, considering California has gone from the consolation round to a pair of wins in the state playoffs – all three with Fisher pitching six or more innings – to a PIAA Class A semifinal today against Johnsonburg at Homer-Center.

“I told them, ‘We have to come out here and have fun. We have to play fearless. We just have to go and be ourselves,’ ” Hartman said. “It’s working so far.”

Previsky would agree.

Win or lose today, this postseason run has been nothing if not a great time.

Almost as much fun as a leg drop or body-slamming André the Giant.

“I think the action figures get us pumped up for the game because we’re a bunch of kids out there having fun,” Previsky said. “I think that’s the way that we should be playing, too, because we’re playing a lot better now.”

Canon-Mac can field, too

The Canon-McMillan softball team has the type of lineup capable of hitting home runs in bunches.

In fact, six Big Macs have gone deep a total of six times in six playoff games.

But what’s not often recognized as a strength of this team is how well Canon-McMillan (23-1) fields the ball.

In those six games, the Big Macs have made a total of two errors in 105 chances, which is roughly a 50 percent decrease from the already strong trend (19 in 570 chances) that occurred during the regular season.

The slick-field – and strong-hitting – Big Macs take on Pennsbury in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals today at Carlisle High School, and don’t be surprised if the team’s fielding plays a big part in helping Canon-McMillan advance to Friday’s state final at Penn State University.

First baseman Maddie Engel leads the way with 14 putouts in as many chances this postseason. Third baseman Olivia Lorusso is also perfect in her 14 chances, and shortstop Linda Rush has one of the Big Macs two errors despite 16 chances. Second baseman Ally Bellaire even turned an unassisted double play in Canon-McMillan’s 5-0 win over North Allegheny in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals.

Lorusso, right fielder Abby McCartney, center field Yaszmin Kotar, left fielder Tara Fowler, designated player Kirsten Rush and catcher Giorgiana Zeremenko have all contributed to the gaudy home run total.