Looking for a country walk-up song for when you approach the plate? You need a piece of music that can either amp you up, hype up the crowd, or intimidate the opposing pitcher; preferably all three.
There are many options to choose from across genres, but here are some of the best country walk-up songs ever.
“Burning Man” by Dierks Bentley
Song Year: 2018
“Burning Man” makes a great potential option. Just about every fan in the baseball stadium will recognize it by virtue of its relentless airplay in 2018. It was a No. 2 country hit and a Top 40 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
It’s got a quick tempo, it’s catchy, and the lyrics talk about overcoming challenges. It can be a tool to amp up the home team’s fans, and it can also give the batter a confidence boost.
“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash
Song Year: 2006
Johnny Cash unfortunately didn’t live to see the popularity of his release “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”. The song was released posthumously, but surely The Man In Black knew he was onto something with this one.
It’s an aggressive song about how bad things will catch up to the bad people doing them. It’s pretty intense, what with Cash’s booming voice and the driving, insistent beat.
“Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker
Song Year: 2013
Darius Rucker recorded a cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” that took the world by storm.
The lyrics speak of travel, adventure, and yearning, which can resonate with the excitement and anticipation of a baseball game, and it’s a feel-good song that crowds will warm to. Former Boston Red Sox first baseman David “Big Papi” Ortiz used it, and that’s a pretty strong endorsement.
“The South” by The Cadillac Three
Song Year: 2013
Not every walkup song will work for every player. If you’re a Toronto Blue Jay, for instance, a song called “The South” might get you booed or laughed out of the batter’s box.
The Cadillac Three released “The South” in 2013 as the debut single from their self-titled album. It’s a good sing-along song, and it trumpets the best parts of Southern life: country living, whiskey, and countrified rock music. Ball players from below the Mason-Dixon line can use this one and be safe in the knowledge that their hometown fans will love it.
“Take a Little Ride” by Jason Aldean
Song Year: 2012
Jason Aldean is a country artist on paper, but “Take a Little Ride” is a rock song. Sure, it gets played on country radio stations, but it’s a rock song. And it’s fun, too. And there are no rapping country singers in it, so that’s a plus.
It’s fun, it’s catchy, and it’s about living in the present. When you’re facing a 90 mph fastball, living in the moment is all you’ve got, so when a baseball player takes the field to this song, it might give him the confidence boost he needs.
“Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band
Song Year: 2008
One of those songs everyone knows (even if they don’t know it by name), “Chicken Fried,” was the Zac Brown Band’s debut single.
It’s a country song, but if you listen closely, you can hear a little reggae in there, and that makes for a good time every time.
“Boys ‘Round Here” by Blake Shelton feat. Pistol Annies & Friends
Song Year: 2013
Blake Shelton has cultivated an image of the kind of guy you’d like to have a beer with and not even bother asking for an autograph.
“Boys ‘Round Here” perpetuates that image, as the collaborative project sounds like a party is happening from the first note. with hip-hop influences and funny lyrics, complete with a reference to spitting tobacco juice. Okay, more than one reference.
Dang, is there a better walk-up song?
“A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams Jr.
Song Year: 1982
“A Country Boy Can Survive” is another walk-up song that not just anyone can use. A player born and raised in the Bronx might think twice before using this one, lest he open himself up to jeers, especially if he’s playing a game in the South.
But Hank, Jr.’s classic country anthem is about the self-reliance that a country boy simply must have, and that translates to the diamond. When you step into that batter’s box, self-reliance is all you’ve got.
“Barefoot Blue Jean Night” by Jake Owen
Song Year: 2011
Jake Owen scored a number-one hit and much love from the critics with “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” the title track from his 2011 album.
It describes the nice things about a night in the country with friends. Most fans will be at the game with friends, so this will remind them about how good life is while they’re watching some ball.
The player using this as a walk-up song is probably best used by a charismatic player like New York Yankee Giancarlo Stanton, who has used “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” more than once.
“Beer For My Horses” by Toby Keith and Willie Nelson
Song Year: 2003
As the title track from Toby Keith’s 2003 album, “Beer for My Horses” made great use of national treasure Willie Nelson, who probably gets at least a little credit for the song rising to the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
It’s a funny song with a quick tempo and just enough rock influences to make it fun. And since it’s about loyalty and having fun — two very important attributes a player would want in his teammates — it works well at the ballpark.
“Hell On Wheels” by Brantley Gilbert
Song Year: 2010
With guitar riffs that scream “rock and roll,” “Hell on Wheels” came off Brantley Gilbert’s Halfway to Heaven album. It wasn’t a single, so it didn’t chart, but it’s got an intensity to it that can rile up fans even if they haven’t heard it before.
It’s about taking risks, and it’s about fearlessness, and what two things could better suit a baseball player, especially one that’s swinging for the fences?
“Hell on Wheels” is the kind of song that can inject excitement into the stands in just a few seconds.
“Second One To Know” by Chris Stapleton
Song Year: 2017
Chris Stapleton has won over almost every critic in the world, so why shouldn’t he have a shin-kicking walk-up song for some baseball players?
“Second One To Know” has a driving guitar riff that makes it one of those songs where you wonder why, exactly, anyone calls it a country song because it rocks. And the overall message of the song? Don’t mess with me, buddy.
“Shoot From The Hip” by Brothers Osborne
Song Year: 2014
The jangly guitar and the whistle in the opening of “Shoot From The Hip” give the song a certain The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly vibe. And an ominous gunfighter standoff is an apt metaphor for the battle between pitcher and batter, so this song makes an apt choice for a walk-up.
Trea Turner, shortstop and second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, has used “Shoot From the Hip” in the past, and the song brings with it a swagger since the lyrics encourage the listener to be bold and be themselves.
“South On Ya” by Luke Combs
Song Year: 2017
Luke Combs mentions several southern states in the lyrics of “South On Ya,” and the SEC Network used the song during on-air college football events a couple of seasons ago.
So it’s a proven sports-related song. It’s got a real rock feel, and Combs’ vocals bring excitement to the track. It’s got a celebratory feel, and with just one listen, you can easily imagine the song hyping up a crowd as a batter dons his helmet and heads for the batter’s box.
“Welcome to the Show” by Cody Johnson
Song Year: 2016
No matter what the song sounds like, “Welcome to the Show” would merit consideration as a walk-up song just from its title — The Show is what baseball players call the major leagues.
Full disclosure, it’s not about baseball at all, but about the gargantuan spectacle known as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. So there’s mention of the nation’s fourth largest city, the hurricanes that occasionally hit it, and all sorts of rodeo activities.
But if you’re a Houston Astro and you choose this boot-stomper as a walk-up, the home crowd will cheer. Loudly.
“5-1-5-0” by Dierks Bentley
Song Year: 2012
Dierks Bentley brings his trademark country-rock sound to “5-1-5-0” and imbues it with excitement — the kind you feel when there’s just a hint of danger involved.
No matter what the lyrics say, the catchy chorus is a proven crowd-pleaser (it was a number-two hit). But lyrics matter, and here, they add to the fun. The narrator insists that he’s going crazy, as if he is the danger. Put that attitude on a batter stepping to the plate, and you’ve got a hero in the making.
“Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line
Song Year: 2012
Florida Georgia Line’s country pop provides a nice, chilled-out feeling for a night at the ballpark.
“Cruise” came from the group’s 2012 EP and appeared on their debut full-length album, Here’s to the Good Times, so it was one of the first songs the world heard from the country duo.
It’s not the kind of song to intimidate the opposing team, but it will probably get the hometown crowd singing along, as it feels like a song that would get played loud at a party or a ball game.
“Dirt On My Boots” by Jon Pardi
Song Year: 2016
John Pardi’s California Sunrise spawned five singles in 2016, one of which was “Dirt on My Boots,” a minor-key honky-tonk piece with some modern country elements. That seems to be Pardi’s brand, and it works, especially with the lyrical content, which is pretty much, “This is the way I am, like it or not.”
Confidence oozes from this one (especially the guitar solo), so it’s a good walk-up song — any batter worth his salt has to know that he’s got what it takes when he faces a pitcher, right?
“Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn
Song Year: 2005
The title track of a later Brooks & Dunn album, “Hillbilly Deluxe” blends country and rock with a quick tempo. It rose to number eight on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and had some crossover success, so as a walk-up song, it would appeal to a wider demographic, since not everyone at the ballpark listens to country music exclusively.
“Locomotive” by Miranda Lambert
Song Year: 2019
Aptly, “Locomotive” kicks off with a guitar riff that hits you like a freight train. Miranda Lambert herself calls the song a country-punk piece of music, and the feeling of near chaos permeating the piece makes for a crowd-pleasing song.
A batter walking up to this song probably has some juice he’s about to bring to the plate.
“Summertime” by Kenny Chesney
Song Year: 2006
Kenny Chesney has cultivated an image of being something like country-music’s-Jimmy Buffett. “Summertime” fits right in with that beachy, country hippie thing he’s got going on.
The pleasures of summer that he ticks off in the number-one hit’s lyrics are only missing “baseball games,” but even so, the good-times feeling would play well at the ballpark.
Country Walk-Up Songs, Final Thoughts
Choosing a walk-up song is an individual process. Players may want to send a message about themselves, their team’s superiority, or even just say, “Let’s have fun tonight.” When players look for a country walk-up song, these one represent a good place to start the search.