Hannah Wells and ladybugs Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sean Keeley on

Few people swear by superstitions more than athletes. We’ve heard countless stories about players who wear the same socks after wins or won’t leave the practice court until they’ve hit a certain shot.

Every so often, however, you learn about a superstition that genuinely surprises and, for some, might gross you out.

On Monday, ESPN’s Holly Rowe shared Longhorns star Hannah Wells’ wild superstition during Texas’s second semifinal game against Tennessee at the Women’s College World Series.

“I have some sources in the Texas dugout who have given me an incredible story on Hannah Wells,” Rowe said. “She has a superstition dating back to childhood that if she sees a ladybug, she eats it for good luck. Swallows it whole.

“And so I was told that at the SEC tournament in Kentucky, she had a nice home run and she had ingested a ladybug before that. So this is a superstition. I have this on two different sources in that Texas dugout.

“What a cute and weird superstition.”

Cute might not be the descriptor everyone uses, but weird for sure.

Wells hit a bases-loaded single in the fifth inning that put Texas ahead for good in their 5-2 win, setting up a win-or-go-home game between the two teams later in the day. We have a feeling many ladybugs met their demise in between games.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Sean Keeley