Scots sign chicken as free agent
Ryan Phillips - Sports Editor
When one thinks of mascots, they may think of a person inside a costume giving high fives to children, but in this town, the spirit of a rally chicken is used to break losing streaks thanks to one future Monmouth Hall of Famer.
After going on a 9 game losing streak early on in the season, the Scots decided it was time to add a free agent to the roster.
“Our offense needed to go crazy, so we bought a chicken,” Raul Guillermo said. “Tyler Sears and I pitched the alumni the idea and the chicken lived with us for a whole week at the field.”
Stella, the baseball team’s rally chicken, lived inside the dugout until the coop started to get in the way of coaching operations.
Originally supposed to be a goat, Stella’s presence has been detrimental for the Scots success, going 10 and 5 since March 29th.
“She was at our Lawrence game,” Guillermo said.
“Obviously we won the series and ever since then, Stella has been our go to girl.”
Anytime the Scots score a run, the chicken dance song blares from the speaker, being an annoyance to the opposing team.
Guillermo’s chicken antics led him to hit three home runs over a weekend series against Knox College, one of which broke the all-time franchise record for most home runs in a single career, surpassing Mike Dato. Guillermo rounded the bases, and after touching second base, he pointed to those sitting in the American Legion parking lot.
“Grant Myers and Henry were out there,” Guillermo said. “They are alumni that came out..they always reach out to me and helped me out a lot in this progress and kept pushing me.”
However, under Guillermo’s jersey, the number 21 lies beneath 34 in honor of a past coach.
“I hit my second career home run at Glasgow Field wearing my Sanders shirt,” Guillermo said. Roger Sanders, who served as manager for the Scots from 1994 to 2015, passed away on Oct. 7th, 2022, at the age of 65. “Ever since then, I never took it off. It’s a pretty big deal for me and the tradition I know.
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