Youth Baseball

The Best Baseball Chants
for 2026

50+ dugout chants organized by situation — hitters, pitchers, defense, chirps, and the classics every baseball family knows.

Baseball chants are one of those things that sound ridiculous until you're in the middle of a tight game and the whole dugout is locked in together. They keep kids focused, build team chemistry, and make the long innings go faster. Whether you're a coach looking to teach your team some new material or a parent wondering what the kids are yelling from the dugout — here's the full list, organized by situation.

Dugout chants for hitters

These are the bread and butter — chants thrown from the dugout to support the batter at the plate.

The Classic Eye Chant Good eye, good eye, now kiss that ball goodbye.
Battle Battle Battle battle hit it to Seattle.
Piece of It You got a piece of it, now get the rest of it. Now get the R-E-S-T, rest of it.
I'm Fired Up I'm fired up, you fired up? I'm fired up, you fired up? I'm fired up, you fired up? I can't hear you!
Hit It Hard Hit it hard, hit it fast, knock that pitcher on the grass.
I Believe I believe [I believe], I believe that [I believe that], I believe that we [I believe that we], I believe that we will [I believe that we will], I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!
Bases Loaded Bases loaded guess who's up. Home run hitter you better back up. I don't see you moving so move.
Skittle Skittle Skittle skittle rip it up the middle make the pitcher pee a little.
Extra Extra Extra, extra — [batter name] is gonna get a hit, no doubt about it!
Friend of Mine [Batter name] is a friend of mine, he can rip it anytime — RIP IT, RIP IT.
Base Hit Base hit scores a run, base hit scores a run.
High and Low That's high, that's high, that's where the birdies fly. Tweet tweet, tweet tweet, on Twitter.
That's low, that's low, that's where the crabbies go. Snap snap, snap snap, on Snapchat.
Holy Cow Holy cow that was foul — move it over, move it over.
Holy sheep that was deep — back it up, up, up, back it up, up, up.
Holy monkey that was funky — go bananas, go go bananas.
We Want a Batter We want a batter, not a broken ladder! Translation: you're asking the pitcher to throw strikes so your batter can actually hit something. A classic Little League taunt dressed up as encouragement.
Yabo Yabo, Yabo, Yabo. A nonsense chant that somehow became a staple in youth dugouts everywhere. Nobody fully knows where it came from. Everyone knows it.

Chants aimed at the pitcher

These are aimed at the opposing pitcher to get in their head — light enough for youth ball, effective enough to actually work.

Hey pitcher, look at me — I'm a monkey in a tree.
Three, two — whatcha gonna do? Walk him, walk him.
Watch the pitcher, watch watch the pitcher. Is he high, is he low, is he fast, is he slow, is he happy, is he sad — I don't know, let's make him mad.
We want a pitcher, not a belly itcher. First documented in print in 1971. One of the oldest and most enduring chants in youth baseball history.
Pitcher, pitcher, what's the matter — can you walk another batter?
That's a B-B-B, that's an A-A-A, double L-L-L — that's a BALL.
Pitcher's got a big butt. Simple. Timeless. Kids love it. Coaches pretend they don't.
Two, four, six, eight — pitcher's got a bellyache!
We want a catcher, not a belly scratcher.
Youth baseball players in the dugout

Easy chants for younger kids (T-ball & coach pitch)

Younger kids need shorter, simpler chants — ideally ones that don't require memorizing more than one line. These work for T-ball, coach pitch, and early machine pitch age groups where attention spans are measured in innings, not games.

Here we go [team name], here we go! (clap clap)
Let's go [batter name], let's go! (clap clap)
Hit the ball! Hit the ball! Hit the ball!
Swing batter batter, swing!
Good eye! Good eye!
We got this! We got this!

💡 Little League chanting rules

Most youth leagues have rules that stop chanting once the pitcher begins their windup. Chanting while a pitcher is mid-delivery is considered poor sportsmanship and can draw a warning from the ump. Keep it between pitches and always direct it at your own team, not at individual players on the other side.

More hitter chants

Harder Faster Harder! Faster! Whatever it takes! When you hit that ball, we wanna see the bat break!
You Seen It You saw it, you seen it — now hit it like you mean it!
Runner on Third There's a runner on third and he really has to score — bring him home, bring him home!
Short and Small He may be short, he may be small — but he can really rip that ball!

The home run chant sequence

This one builds through each type of hit — great for teaching younger kids the difference between a single, double, triple, and home run while keeping the energy up.

We want a single, just a little single — S-I-N-G-L-E, single, single, single.
We want a double, just a little double — D-O-U-B-L-E, double, double, double.
We want a triple, just a little triple — T-R-I-P-L-E, triple, triple, triple.
We want a home run, just a little home run — H-O-M-E-R-U-N, home run, home run, home run!
Be Aggressive Be aggressive, B-E aggressive, B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E!
Mighty Mighty Mighty, mighty, mighty [team name] — do it, do it, do it, do it!

Baseball chirps — for older players

Chirps are different from chants. Chants are repetitive and rhythmic — chirps are one-liners aimed at getting in someone's head. They're common at the high school level and above. Keep it competitive but keep it clean — the goal is to rattle a pitcher or batter, not start a brawl.

At the umpire Hey ump, how can you sleep with all these lights on?
At the umpire Are you sure you don't want to phone a friend?
At the umpire I've seen potatoes with better eyes.
At the umpire Hey blue — if you had one more eye you'd be a cyclops.
At the umpire You drop more calls than T-Mobile.
At the umpire I've seen better blues in a box of crayons.
At the pitcher Do you travel with this team?

⚠️ Know the line

Chirps directed at umpires are generally fine — they've heard it all and have thick skin. Chirps aimed at individual players on the other team, especially kids, cross a line. At the youth level keep it all in good fun. The goal is energy and competitive edge, not making a 12-year-old feel bad about themselves.

High school baseball chants

High school dugouts are louder and more creative than youth leagues — less structured, more improvised. The best high school dugouts build their own chants around players' names and inside jokes that develop over a season. That said, the classics still show up at every level.

The Crowd Pump Let's go [team name]! (clap clap clap-clap-clap) — the universal sports chant that works at every level and every sport.
Back-to-Back Back-to-back, back-to-back — [team name] is on attack.
Defense Call D-E-F-E-N-S-E — defense! (repeated with increasing volume)
Two Down Two down, two down — one to go! (from the field, not the dugout)
Pitcher Nickname Chants Build a chant around your pitcher's name or nickname — simple rhythmic repetition works best. The New York Yankees fan section famously chants each player's name until they acknowledge the crowd. That tradition started with Derek Jeter and has continued for decades.

Baseball dugout songs — the stadium classics

These aren't chants exactly — they're songs that have become so embedded in baseball culture that every fan knows them. You'll hear these at every level from Little League tournaments to the World Series.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Written in 1908 and sung at the seventh-inning stretch at ballparks everywhere. The most universal baseball song in existence.
Sweet Caroline — Neil Diamond
A Fenway Park staple since the 1990s, played during the 8th inning. Now heard at ballparks everywhere. "So good, so good, so good" needs no introduction.
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Written in 1969, it became a baseball tradition in 1977 when White Sox organist Nancy Faust started playing it whenever opposing pitchers got pulled. Still going strong.
We Are the Champions — Queen
The universal victory anthem. Every youth baseball team has heard this blasting from a portable speaker after a tournament win.
Centerfield — John Fogerty
"Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today." The most baseball-specific song ever written and a pre-game staple at every level.
Ole Ole Ole
Borrowed from soccer but heard at minor league parks everywhere. Simple, repetitive, works on any crowd size.

Baseball phrases to yell

Not quite chants, not quite chirps — just good things to yell from the dugout or the bleachers that sound like you know what you're doing.

At the plate "Make him work!" — telling your batter to be patient and run up the pitch count.
After a walk "Good eye!" — one of the most common phrases in youth baseball.
For the defense "Be ready!" — a coach reminding infielders to expect the ball.
After a big play "That's baseball baby!" — timeless.
When your pitcher is dealing "Sit down!" — after a strikeout looking.
On a full count "Battle!" — simple, effective, works at every level.
Classic chatter from the infield "Hey batter batter batter — swing!"

How to create your own chant

The best dugout chants are the ones a team builds themselves over a season. A few rules that actually work:

Keep it short. If it takes more than three seconds to teach, it won't catch on. The best chants fit in one breath.

Make it rhythmic. Repetition and rhythm are what make chants stick. Simple rhymes beat clever ones every time — especially with younger kids.

Use names. Personalizing a chant for a specific batter or pitcher on your team is instant buy-in. Kids love hearing their name in a chant.

Keep it positive at the youth level. Stuff directed at the other team's kids — especially their pitcher — can cross a line fast. Save the chirps for high school and above. At 10U just focus on your own guys.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular Little League baseball chants?
The most popular Little League baseball chants include "Battle battle hit it to Seattle," "Good eye good eye now kiss that ball goodbye," "We want a pitcher not a belly itcher," and "Skittle skittle rip it up the middle make the pitcher pee a little." These are the ones you'll hear at nearly every youth baseball game across the country.
What does "we want a batter not a broken ladder" mean?
"We want a batter, not a broken ladder" is a dugout chant directed at the opposing pitcher asking them to throw strikes. It's essentially teasing the pitcher for walking batters or throwing wild — implying they're as useful as a broken ladder. The rhyme and rhythm make it stick with kids.
What are the full lyrics to "Battle Battle Hit It to Seattle"?
"Battle battle hit it to Seattle" is typically just that one line repeated. It's a simple encouragement chant telling the batter to keep fighting and make contact. Some teams add a clap pattern or repeat it faster as the at-bat continues. There's no official full version — every team puts their own spin on the rhythm.
What are baseball chirps?
Baseball chirps are one-liner taunts or trash talk directed at the opposing team, their pitcher, or the umpire. Unlike chants which are rhythmic and repeated, chirps are improvised one-offs — things like "I've seen potatoes with better eyes" at the umpire or "Do you travel with this team?" at a visiting player. They're more common at the high school level and above.
What are good baseball chants for kids?
Good baseball chants for younger kids are short, simple, and positive — "Here we go [name], here we go!" "Good eye, good eye!" and "Let's go [team name]!" are great starting points. Avoid anything directed at the other team's players at younger age groups. The goal is keeping your own dugout energized and connected.
What are baseball phrases to yell from the dugout?
Common baseball phrases to yell from the dugout include "Make him work!" (encouraging patience at the plate), "Good eye!" (after a walk or called ball), "Battle!" (on a full count), "Hey batter batter swing!" (from the infield), and "Be ready!" (reminding fielders to stay alert). These are the phrases you'll hear at every level from Little League to the pros.
Are there rules about chanting in Little League?
Most youth leagues prohibit chanting once the pitcher begins their windup. Chanting during a pitcher's delivery is considered a distraction and poor sportsmanship. Keep chants between pitches, and at younger age groups direct all chants at your own team rather than at opposing players. Rules vary by league so check with your local organization.

The best dugouts are loud, creative, and locked in together. Whether it's a classic like "Good eye, good eye" or something your team invented in the third inning of a tournament game — the chant itself matters less than the fact that everyone is doing it together. That's what builds a team.

→ Best Walk-Up Songs for Baseball Players  ·  14 Tips for Becoming an Exceptional Youth Baseball Coach