Texas’ pregame routine begins long before the Longhorns arrive at Devon Field, and it includes an honorary member who has become a good luck charm.
Bus driver Stephen Ford took the University of Texas to their regular-season finale against Texas Tech, where the Longhorns won 13-3, 23-0 and 14-4 in five innings. After the series, the team decided to find a way to have Ford drive them to and from the Women’s College World Series.
“We hit it off immediately and became like one big family,” Ford said.
Though he’d been a sports manager for more than 16 years, Ford had never really been interested in softball, but that changed when he became involved with the Longhorns. Instead of waiting on the bus until the game was over, Ford sat in the front row, wearing his new bright orange uniform for the occasion.
Ford liked to keep the energy up on the drive to the field and didn’t let slip any nervousness about the Longhorns’ challenge to beat defending champion Oklahoma in this week’s championship series. And if the Longhorns don’t pull out a win, he joked, a long bus ride awaits on the other side of the pond.
“I always say we have to beat them,” Ford said, “and if we don’t, we’re going to be in a tough spot.”