A softball dugout is its own little world. Between innings the bench is where a team lives, and the music is what holds it together: line dances down the fence, a Sweet Caroline call-and-response, a reset song after a tough call goes the other way. The goal here is not to fire one batter up, it is to keep nine or twelve kids loud, loose, and locked in for two hours.
These are the songs that travel well in a metal dugout. Easy to clap, easy to sing, easy for a nine-year-old to know every word, and clean enough that no parent in the bleachers winces. Pick a couple as the team's go-to, and the bench starts running itself.
The list
“Best Moment
the "boom boom boom" lift
Confidence lift after a quiet inning.
I Gotta Feeling
Black Eyed Peas
“Best Moment
the "tonight's gonna be good" build
Good-night team singalong.
“Best Moment
the stomp-stomp-clap
Easy stomp-clap for the bench.
“Best Moment
the "dyn-na-na-na" hook
Bright, clean dance-pop.
Can't Stop the Feeling!
Justin Timberlake
“Best Moment
the "can't stop the feeling" hook
Clean, upbeat bench energy.
“Best Moment
the "shake it off" chorus
Reset song after a tough call.
Party in the U.S.A.
Miley Cyrus
“Best Moment
the "yeah-eah" nod-along hook
Guilty-pleasure dugout banger.
Sweet Caroline
Neil Diamond
“Best Moment
the "bah bah bah" horns
Call-and-response singalong.
“Best Moment
the "to the right" callout
Line-dance the whole bench.
Our #1 pick
Cotton Eye Joe
Rednex
“Best Moment
that fiddle hoedown loop
Classic dugout dance cue.
Make it theirs
Drop your team's name into a song built around their season, and you have a dugout anthem that no other bench in the league can copy.
