The wild duck chase

Recently the MC baseball team gained two of unlikely mascots. Instead of a student in costume, the team invested in a pair of ducks.

Senior Nick Romano on varsity  baseball and his girlfriend, senior Savannah Hobbs, adopted Daphne and Sterling as a fun twist.

“Technically it’s the baseball team’s duck, because they wanted a team pet,” Hobbs said.

Obtaining the ducks took more than a trip to Petco. This project lead them on a wild duck chase.

“We got them in Ramona, at a duck farm,” Hobbs said.

The wild duck chase to Ramona didn’t end up costing a fortune. It was actually fairly inexpensive.

“[They were] ten dollars each,” Romano said.

The idea of a team pet started as a joke last year, but eventually Romano and Hobbs ended up bringing it to life.

“We had this funny inside joke about Poway and ducks last year, so we thought it’d be funny just to get a duck,” Romano said.

Like any pet, the ducks required some planning.

“I think we started planning it out a month before we actually got them,” Romano said.

A lot of people, including the coaches, originally doubted the idea. They didn’t think the dream of getting ducks would ever become a reality.

“They weren’t too sure about it at first because they didn’t think we’d actually pull through with the plan and everything, but they’re fine with it,” Romano said.

Now the ducks live with Hobbs, in an enclosure in her backyard. They used to switch between the houses, but now they are just to big.

“I take care of them because I have enough room.” Hobbs said. “They live at my house, and they’re supposed to go to the games.”

Hobbs and Romano aren’t the only people who enjoy the ducks’ company.

“My parents love them,” Hobbs said.

And teammates also remain supportive of the couple’s decision. The team loves seeing the ducks at games.

“It kind of started off as a joke, but once we actually figured out a plan for everything everybody got on board,” Romano said.

Since getting the ducks, Romano and Hobbs have watched them grow.

“We got them about a month ago,” Hobbs said. “We got them when they were ducklings so they were yellow, and now they’re white. They’re like the big white Aflac ducks.”

The pets have even exceeded the appropriate size for sitting in the stands.

“We used to bring them to games, but they’re getting pretty big,” Romano said.

Although they may not be the  best support system for the team, the ducks seem to have bonded with each other.

“They just stick together mostly, so they don’t really venture off too much,” Romano said.

With a few solid wins under their belt, and the ducks in the stands, the team prepares to succeed through the rest of this season.