(Photo credit: Joshua Eaton/WCSN)
TEMPE — The smell of popcorn floats around a stadium full of 1,500 college softball fans, with bright lights and palm trees alongside the outfield fence. Metal benches wrap around the infield dirt, and echoing through the golden seats and silver bleachers are the voices of passionate fans.
“Get a hit, get a hit, get a hit, hit, hit.”
This is all recognizable for fans at Farrington Stadium. There are so many elements that go into the Sun Devil game day experience, including a few iconic voices.
Who They Are
Softball is known for having chants at all levels of play, including the Little League days, all the way up to Division I. Usually, this encouragement comes from the dugout. However, at Club Farrington, there are three brothers who add to the fun.
The Swisher family, also known as the “get a hit” guys, is made up of Rich, Patrick and Robert. The trio is all ASU alumni. Every game, while ASU is batting, the Swishers shout their “Get a hit, get a hit, get a hit, hit, hit” chant. They are so consistent and so passionate that they have now become an iconic part of Farrington Stadium.
Rich, who graduated with an aerotech degree in 1980 and then got a nursing degree in 1997, and Patrick, who earned a bachelor’s degree in science and history in 1979, are both local. The brothers have been attending Sun Devil softball games since the 1997 season, the same year the movie “Titanic” was released.
Rich became a season ticket holder in the 2003 season, and Patrick joined him soon after. Robert currently lives in Washington, D.C., but he still joins his family when he travels out west.
The chant started “many, many years ago,” so long ago that the Swishers are unable to remember the exact season. However, they remember one thing well: the origins come from another diamond in Arizona.
How It Started
Patrick found himself taking in some Diamondbacks baseball at Chase Field. While at the game, a young fan was trying to get their favorite team’s offense going.
“Get a hit, get a hit, get a hit, hit, hit.”
Patrick did not think much of it until he was later at Club Farrington with Rich. By sheer coincidence, the same chant came from the Sun Devils’ dugout.
“Get a hit, get a hit, get a hit, hit, hit.”
To Rich’s surprise, Patrick then decided to join in on the fun.
“I look at him and go, ‘What’s he doing?’” Rich said. “He goes, ‘I thought I heard that coming from the dugout, so I’m just repeating it.’”
Others have now picked up on the chant. Patrick said he has heard the mantra from some of the Little League players enjoying ASU softball with their team.
Since then, the chant’s lore has grown.
Exploring the Depths of the Chants
As the brothers continued chanting, they realized that luck seemed to be on their side. The Swishers have developed a superstition about when they chant at games.
At the start of each game, the brothers will echo their “get a hit” chant for each batter. If the Sun Devils’ offense starts to struggle, they will wait until a runner is already on base.
“If they’re really having a bad time, we don’t do it, cause we think it puts too much pressure on them,” Rich said. “Well, hopefully it doesn’t put too much pressure on them.”
For those who are really superstitious, the Swishers could bring some luck to the Sun Devils during the postseason. The family has attended many ASU football games and is even season ticket holders for the volleyball team, two programs that won the Big 12 Conference in their first year after leaving the Pac-12 Conference.
What may be unknown to many ASU fans, including those who attend games at Farrington, is that there are two other chants the Swishers have in their arsenal. When the Sun Devil Beach Volleyball Facility went up behind the right field fence in 2022, the brothers started yelling, “To the beach, to the beach,” for big at-bats where ASU could use a home run.
“There’s another one that we whisper cause we really don’t want them to hear,” Rich said. “When the count is 3-2, we go, ‘Get a hit, get a walk, get hit. Get a hit, get a walk, get hit.’”
Die-Hard Fans
Over the last 22 seasons, the Swishers have seen the program’s ups and downs. Those ups have included two NCAA titles in 2008 and 2011.
One name stands out to Rich when reminiscing about those teams: Katie Cochran. Cochran was a star outfielder on the 2008 national championship team. Over the course of her four years with the Sun Devils, Cochran was a four-time first-team All-American, three-time Pac-10 Player of the Year and won three Pac-10 Batting Titles.
“They were just fantastic,” Patrick said. “They deserve those national championships. It’s just somewhat unfortunate that we haven’t been back into the World Series for many years, and we’re looking forward to getting back there sometime.”
The brothers’ love for this program extends outside of Tempe. They travel together, going to select away series and taking in some ASU softball while on vacation.
This season, they saw success on the road in Florida when the Sun Devils went 4-1 against the Stetson Hatters and UCF Knights.
However, no matter how many stadiums they visit, Club Farrington will always hold a special place in the brothers’ hearts.
“Nothing compares to Farrington,” Rich said.
“Farrington is unique in college softball,” Patrick said. “You look at some of the big programs, they don’t have anything compared to Farrington Stadium. It’s a unique venue, and I think a lot of teams out there are envious when they come and see what we have here at ASU.”
