In the game of baseball, there are certain unwritten rules one is expected to follow.

These basic principles, like not showing off after hitting a home run or not rushing the field, help the game run smoothly and show respect for the tradition of our national pastime.

But what happens when the world of nature and human collide?

St. Louis Cardinals fans experienced this as a cat rushed the field during last night’s game against the Kansas City Royals, but the story did not end there.

The person sent out to retrieve the cat was none other than Lucas Hackmann, a current WKU student and member of WKU’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter. Much like the everlasting dread of student loan debt, the influence of WKU students never seems to go away.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hackmann, a member of the Cardinal’s grounds crew, raced out to recover the cat during a crucial moment of the game.

Hackman recounted the traumatic event to the Dispatch saying, “I put my hand like right in front of its mouth, not even thinking anything is going to happen. I take like five steps running and it just latches on to my index finger! That’s when I flipped.”

This is when things took a turn for the supernatural. Just as baseball is a game governed by unwritten rules, it is also a breeding ground for all things superstitious. As Hackmann released the cat outside of the stadium, the crowd went wild. If you will recall, the cat walked onto the field at a crucial point in the game.

Hackmann recounted it “It was bases loaded, two outs…And I remember the crowd going wild when I was up there-I was like, yeah, I get it, I got the cat off of the field (laughing)-and then I realized it was bases loaded.”

A player from the Cardinals hit a home run right after the cat was escorted from the field to put them ahead of the Royals and ultimately win the game 8-5. The Cardinals, a team that has been struggling to secure its spot in the playoffs, immediately attributed the win to the luck of the cat giving it the title of “Cardinals Rally Cat”.

The Cardinals, in a statement, said they are hopeful “someone will find the cat and contact us so we can properly care for it.” 

You can find updates on what the Rally Cat is up to after his brief moment in the spotlight on Twitter @CardsRallyCat17. In the meantime, RIP Uncle Mittens. Gone, but never forgotten.

Hackmann has yet to respond to messages from Herald reporters, we assume he’s working the late night T.V. circuit.