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Texas softball player Hannah Wells eats ladybugs for good luck. That bizarre superstition has gone viral with the Longhorns playing in the Women’s College World Series.
That isn’t likely to sit well with animal rights organization PETA. They’ve voiced opposition of actions less extreme.
Wells’ superstition dates back to childhood. If she sees a ladybug, she devours it.
Who is Hannah Wells?
The freshman is a pitcher and utility player on the Texas softball team. The two-way star signed with the Longhorns after being named Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Coahoma High School.
She’s impressed in Year 1 with the program.
The righty is 6-3 on the mound with a save and 3.11 ERA. At the dish, she’s hitting .286 with 15 home runs. She can do it all!
Her production has helped Texas make a run to Oklahoma City. She’s made her own luck this season.
Longhorn teammates filled ESPN reporter Holly Rowe in on Wells’ odd superstition at the Women’s College World Series.
“She has a superstition dating back to childhood that if she sees a ladybug, she eats it for good luck. Swallows it whole,” Rowe said. “I was told that at the SEC Tournament in Kentucky, she had a nice home run, and she had ingested a ladybug before that…
“What a cute and weird superstition.”
It seems to be working for her. It probably won’t sit well with everyone.
PETA will not approve.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have lobbied for many sports-related causes in the past. Most recently, 49ers tight end George Kittle was caught in their crosshairs.
The pass catcher bragged about killing spiders in his bathroom, which made PETA mad. It continued a long list of sports-themed complaints.
The organization asked that the University of Georgia retire the tradition of having a live English bulldog on the sidelines after winning back-to-back football championships.
In 2021, PETA demanded the term “bullpen” be replaced with “arm barn,” deeming the current name offensive.
Given the history of over-the-top protests, it seems unlikely that Hannah Wells will evade criticism from the organization. It probably won’t do much to end the superstition, particularly if the Longhorns win a national title.