SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — In 2005, Shippensburg University let students vote on a new mascot.
While Big Red won, there was another option loved by many, which made its return on April Fool's Day earlier this month. The University's President teased the introduction of 'Shippo the Hippo,' as a joke, but that wasn't enough for one team on campus.
Few sports teams have as much fun as the ones that play softball.
"We have been really big on hats, props, and different sunglasses. One of our freshmen on our team is named Kaira, we call her Carrot, so we have this carrot hat that we wear," said head coach Alison Van Scyoc.
After the school had a laugh on April Fool's Day, the Raiders felt that 'Shippo the Hippo' should hang around a little longer and finally receive his proper spotlight.
"Shippo the Hippo is the underground mascot that not many people know about at Ship. I happened to have a big old Hippo in my room, so I thought he'd be fun to bring to our games and support us," said senior pitcher Maddie Uschock.
And it's not just at home games.
"We get on the bus and Maddie is carrying this giant hippo and I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' We get to Shepherd. They have this really nice little stadium in the background and Shippo is sitting front and center right behind us so he's been with us ever since," recalled Van Scyoc.
"You know, sometimes I feel like a kid," added Uschock. "He's like my little support animal, but he also makes a really good pillow on bus rides."
Shippo enjoys different roles for the Raiders. He's been a casual fan, worked on the broadcast team, and even logged games.
He's also not afraid to change up his wardrobe every once in a while.
"Some days he likes a headband, some days he likes a visor, some days he just grabs a bat himself and starts swinging," said Uschock.
"He's been a fun addition to our team. We just had a lot of fun with it, made a lot of jokes about it, and now we can't play without him." said infielder Hannah Marsteller.
Besides, playing the game they love without having fun would make them hypocrites.
"Our team plays best when we are loose and we are having fun. It's little things like Shippo and our props that keep us kind of grounded and help us understand that yes, we're playing a college sport, yes, we train every day, and at the end of the day, what we want sports to teach us is life lessons," added Van Scyoc.