LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Kentucky baseball is hosting an NCAA regional this weekend, a long time coming for Wildcats fans. Just behind their dugout is a familiar fan that you’ll see, and hear, often at the ballpark.
There are fans who have rode with this team through the wins and the lossess, and Glenn Gremillion is one of those fans.
“My fans call me the mayor,” Gremillion said.
“Glenn’s basically a man of the people, he’s the mayor of UK baseball, everybody just loves and respects Glenn,” Kentucky baseball fan Steve Barch said.
A nickname like “The Mayor” doesn’t happen over nine innings; through 15 years as a season ticket holder, it’s earned.
The Mayor usually boasts a prominent voice, which fans can hear clearly throughout Kentucky Proud Park.
“It’s baseball, the best sport played outdoors other than thoroughbred racing,” Gremillion said.
The New Orleans-native knows plenty about horse racing too: he is a hall of fame member at Fairgrounds Race Course back home, but also came up to Lexington for years and worked at Keeneland. In 2008 he moved up here to Kentucky, bought UK baseball season tickets and has been a devoted fan ever since.
But he took his fandom to new decibels this season with his friend Steve Barch, bringing his signature screams and chants on the road all spring.
“We kinda made a committment to ourselves and to them too we said we’ll go to every game they play and we told them a bunch of them we’ll be there for you any time you all play,” Gremillion said.
The Mayor wears many hats; when he isn’t filling out his scorebook, he sits in as a video coordinator for families who can’t make the games.
“Some parents make them some don’t so I told them as long as we’re here you have family and we wanted them to feel that way,” Gremillion said.
The family feel is also felt by the head skipper, Nick Mingione.
As the Cats try to make postseason history, you can count on The Mayor being there.
“Hopefully we have a lot of baseball left, maybe a month, it would be nice,” Gremillion said.
Kentucky hosts Ball State on Friday at 12 p.m. in the first game of the NCAA Lexington Regional.
