ECU baseball fans throwing up Horns Down gestures as Pirates pile it on Texas in super regional

It's bad enough that East Carolina baseball's bats have pummeled Texas' pitching in the Greenville Super Regional.

But every time the Pirates have done something of note in Friday and Saturday's games, ESPN2's cameras have their choice of Horns Down gestures from ECU fans to pick from for cutaways.

The origin of the Horns Down is unclear, though any rival of the Longhorns could have used it over the years. The modern popularity of the gesture — when opposing fan bases on social media figured out it irritated Texas fans just enough — reached its zenith in 2018, when then-Texas football coach Tom Herman complained that then-West Virginia QB Will Grier threw up the Horns Downs before scoring a touchdown against the Longhorns.

GAME 1: Three takeaways from ECU baseball's Game 1 Greenville Super Regional win vs. Texas

GAME 2: East Carolina vs. Texas baseball video highlights, score in Saturday's super regional game

“I thought taunting before you cross the goal line negated a score," Herman said after the WVU game. "I’ve got to brush up on my rules and get some questions answered."

The Big 12 clarified last year that the Horns Down gesture would get a penalty if directed at a Longhorns player. But for fans, and at fans, it is free game.

Surely the majority of Longhorns fans have thick skin by now when it comes to Horns Down. And if not, have they met any of the fan bases in that conference they're about to join?

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: See all the Horns Down gestures from ECU baseball fans vs Texas