The new star of the UCLA baseball team can’t hit a lick. Doesn’t know how to pitch. Wouldn’t budge if a line drive came his way. His claim to fame is being inseparable from pitcher Angel Cervantes.

UCLA freshman pitcher Angel Cervantes knows the two-inch toy dinosaur he carries with him to the mound is unusual, but he can't argue with the results.

Good-luck rituals may improve performance because they increase a person’s sense of self-efficacy — or their confidence in ...