Because they play elite Division II teams on the road throughout the year, Chico State’s athletes never want to be viewed as roadkill. They want to be road warriors.

Playing difficult teams on the road is tough, but shutting up the home crowd with a solid victory builds camaraderie like nothing else.

When athletes play on the road, they have to be mentally strong and keep their composure, said Rashad Parker, a senior guard on the men’s basketball team.

This may be hard when there’s a packed gym and students are screaming their lungs out, Parker said.

“Every year we play San Francisco State and their baseball team is right across from our bench, yelling at us the whole game, especially on free throws,” Parker said.

Molly Ratto, a senior volleyball player, is always prepared to be heckled by Sonoma State fans.

“We have a big rivalry, and instead of letting the crowd get to me, I think it’s pretty funny instead of offensive,” Ratto said. “Even last year, they got so into it that they said our jerseys looked like period blood.”

For the ’Cats to be conference champions in any sport, they will have to go with the ups and downs of playing at home and away.

Being a well-prepared team will only bring further success throughout the season and will hopefully lead to a postseason berth.

Playing on the road really brings out Chico State’s hunger, Parker said.

“It makes the team way stronger,” he said. “It is tough to get a win in our league, especially on the road, so if we can go into a gym where everyone is against us and come out victorious, it boosts our confidence that much more.”

Ben Marquez can be reached at [email protected] or @theorionsports on Twitter.