That’s relief pitcher Ryan Hostrander and, yes, he’s hanging upside down on a pole in WVU’s dugout. This is important. This is the Rally Sloth.

WVU does a lot of “kind of ridiculous” things in its dugout during games. There’s a sledgehammer,  a make believe sniper rifle, faux fishing poles, impromptu parties and another rally animal saved for equally significant moments. It’s part of the game, a game the Mountaineers happen to be playing quite well right now.

“There’s no doubt the energy in the dugout translates to the success on the field,” WVU coach Randy Mazey said. “As a coach, that’s the energy you strive for every day, but it’s so hard to get when you’re dealing with 18- and 19-year-old kids who are taking tests and have girlfriends and have social lives and have a lot of other things going on.

“Sometimes they come prepared to play. Other times they don’t. It’s your job as coach to make sure they’re always ready to play, but the little dugout games they play do help — and even though my back is turned to them, I can see everything they do.”

You should go to see the WVU v. Texas series this weekend and you should pay a lot of attention to what happens in the dugout.