Before practice even starts, the New Ulm Eagles already have a competition going. Instead of swinging bats or throwing bullpen sessions, players stand in a circle behind the dugout, kicking around a hacky sack and trying not to let it hit the ground.

Most days, the laughs are louder than the music playing from the speakers. Someone always tries a trick kick, someone always messes up, and the rest of the team lets them hear about it immediately.

“It just gets everybody relaxed before practice,” senior catcher Kyle Albrecht said. “We all kind of look forward to it now.”

What started as one player bringing a hacky sack to practice earlier this season quickly turned into a team tradition. Now it happens almost every day before practices and games.

Players say it helps them loosen up and talk to teammates they might not normally hang around with during practice. Even younger players have started joining in more as the season has gone on.

“It sounds dumb, but it honestly brings everyone together,” junior pitcher Tanner Backer said. “Nobody’s worried about baseball for a few minutes. We’re just hanging out.”

The game gets surprisingly competitive at times. Players dive to save the sack from touching the ground and celebrate long streaks like they just won a game. If someone misses an easy kick, they usually hear about it for the rest of practice.

Assistant coach JT Hoffman said the team chemistry this year has been one of the best parts of the season, and little traditions like hacky sack help create that.

“You can tell the guys actually enjoy being around each other,” Hoffman said. “That matters more than people think.”

Even during road trips, players bring the hacky sack onto the bus or into parking lots before games. It has basically become part of the team at this point.

As practice finally started, the circle broke apart, and players grabbed their gloves from the fence. The joking stopped, at least for a little while, and the team headed onto the field.

But before every practice, one thing is pretty much guaranteed for the Eagles: Hack is so back.