RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — The Savannah Bananas’ California debut on Friday did not go as planned.
Yes, they defeated the Party Animals in an epic game of Banana Ball that took two rounds of the one-on-one, extra-innings showdown. But perhaps of bigger concern for the Bananas — who were, of course, striving to put on a show in every sense of the word — was the shoddy PA system at LoanMart Field that rendered the sound inaudible for much of the night.
In some ways, it was almost poetic. The fact that the 4,000-seat, minor-league ballpark — the smallest stadium of the Bananas’ 87-game, 33-city tour — did not have the bandwidth to handle the bonanza reflected just how far the Savannah Bananas have come.
But with how far they had traveled and the zeal of the sold-out crowd of Banana Ball neophytes, the audio issues certainly represented a wrench in the Bananas’ meticulously crafted plans. As with any true performance, though — and unlike your traditional baseball game — the show must go on.
And that it did because some technical difficulties were not going to stop the Bananas from doing what they do best. Rather, it only epitomized the team, helping to create yet another unique evening for a group riddled with unique journeys and backgrounds.
The ripe bananas
In 2018, Kyle Luigs was asked by his pitching coach at the University of North Georgia, Michael Holder, where his dream spot for “summer ball” that year would be.
He answered without hesitation.
“Savannah,” Luigs replied.
Originally from Richmond Hill, Georgia, a suburb about 30 minutes outside Savannah, Luigs’ intent for the summer was twofold: He wanted to play close to home, and he wanted to bring Bill LeRoy — his roommate, best friend and catcher — with him.
Helping the college teammates land contracts to join a novel Coastal Plain League (CPL) team called the Savannah Bananas, it appeared that Holder had granted Luigs’ wish. But the duo’s excitement began to dwindle upon the realization that their deals signified nothing more than a glorified tryout.
“It was supposed to be a two-day contract,” Luigs said.
Ultimately, despite his parents’ inkling that he would be moving back in with them shortly, Luigs reported to Savannah unfazed, trusting that this was just another step toward fulfilling his lifelong ambition of becoming the No. 1 starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers.
LeRoy, on the other hand, was skeptical. After months of being asked, “what in the world are you doing?” upon revealing his summer plans, the Dublin, Georgia, native recalled arriving in Savannah with “no expectations.”
“Honestly, I was just trying to hang around and not get cut,” LeRoy said. “But it turns out they fell in love with me, and I fell in love with them.”
In the five years since, Luigs and LeRoy have done a lot more than just hang around. They, alongside manager Tyler Gillum, have become the faces of the Bananas, returning to Savannah each summer before converting to full-time roles in 2021.
Now, they are the two longest-tenured players, and thanks in part to some inspiration from Gillum, Luigs and LeRoy have left their big-league fantasies behind to continue their love story with the Bananas.
Gillum, who previously coached in more prestigious summer leagues such as the Cape Cod League, also opted to join the Bananas in 2018. After he set a lifetime goal to “have a positive impact on 1,000,000 people through baseball education and exercise,” the opportunity in Savannah was a perfect fit.
That impact-centric mindset appears to have rubbed off on at least his two old-timers.
“I have the platform I’ve always wanted to [be able to] impact the younger generation,” Luigs said. “And I can do it all while having fun.”
Added LeRoy: “I got here and realized that all I wanted to do was impact people and put smiles on people’s faces while playing the game I love. I don’t ever see myself leaving this place.”
Bananas in bunches
For the rest of the Bananas, most of whom are not longtime CPL holdovers, the path to Savannah was a bit different, arriving on unique grounds and with divergent motivations.
Several players landed with the Bananas after stumbling onto the team’s social media pages and subsequently reaching out to owner Jesse Cole, after which they encountered an atypical onboarding process.
“When we hear from players, we ask for an audition video,” Cole said. “It better not be just baseball … Can you bring a level of performance? That’s the difference.”
Others were relentlessly recruited by Cole, who has a knack for recognizing those with the ability to mix baseball with Broadway.
One of those players was Bananas infielder Dalton Mauldin, who received a Twitter DM from Cole in 2018, when he was still playing at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville. For years, Cole tried to lure Mauldin to Savannah, but the timing never quite worked. Some summers, Mauldin had already committed to other teams, and other years he devoted to his budding career as a singer-songwriter.
After graduating in 2021, Mauldin thought he was finished with baseball, as he was poised to move back to Nashville to pursue his music dreams. However, following years of rejection, he ultimately decided that he owed the Bananas a visit.
When Mauldin finally made it to Savannah for some Banana Ball exhibitions, he had his revelation.
“Everybody’s always like, ‘Is it baseball or music?’” Mauldin said. “Why not both?”
Bill “Spaceman” Lee, perhaps the most renowned current Banana, was similarly hesitant about heading to Savannah when he received an out-of-the-blue phone call from Cole early in 2022.
“They called me and asked if I’d try out,” Lee said. “I told them I don’t do tryouts.”
Eventually, the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame pitcher caved, unable to set aside his curiosity about Banana Ball. He proceeded to nearly set a Bananas record in his tryout by recording three outs in 2 minutes, 4 seconds.
“Luckily, I made the ball club,” Lee said.
Ever since, despite acknowledging that he’s not sure “how many good years” he has left, the 76-year-old has grown fond of the Bananas’ initiatives.
“These kids are committed. They’re entertaining. They’re doing the right thing for baseball,” Lee said. “They’re bringing it back to the fans.”
Others players, such as Alex Ziegler, who holds multiple Guinness World Records when it comes to baseball bat balancing, have been an easy sell, if not a match made in heaven for the Bananas. And some key characters, such as Randy Voss, the team simply stumbled upon.
Vincent Chapman, the Bananas’ acclaimed, longtime dancing umpire who ended up in Savannah thanks to a Facebook message from Jesse Cole after his in-game whip and nae-nae dance moves went viral, reached out to his longtime friend Voss earlier this year, when the Bananas were looking to add a second umpire.
Until about three months ago, Voss was just “Randy The Umpire,” but then one day, when the Bananas’ national anthem singer was running late, Voss turned to a panicked Jesse Cole and said three words: “I got this.”
What nobody realized, of course, was that he had once made it to the second round on “American Idol.”
Now, Voss is known as “The Singing Umpire,” and he couldn’t be more thrilled about his niche.
“With the way this thing is growing and as big as it’s getting,” Voss said, “I think this is home.”
No expiration date on these Bananas
It doesn’t take long to feel the special energy around the Bananas, and it won’t be much longer before everyone across the country — and even the globe — gets to experience it for themselves.
“We keep saying, ‘This is just the first inning,’” Gillum said of the Bananas’ future.
It appears that is the case. At $25 apiece, the team’s ticket waitlist now exceeds 850,000 people, and the Bananas are set to take their show to MLB stadiums and even internationally next year.
The increasing demand certainly adds pressure for the players, especially when the Bananas pride themselves on incorporating 15 new hijinks each night. But thanks to weekly “Over the Top Ideas” brainstorming meetings and a “How can we plus this?” mindset, Cole is confident this group is up to the task.
“It’s extremely difficult, but that’s what makes it worth it,” Cole said of sustaining the nightly creativity. “When the name of your company is ‘Fans First Entertainment,’ you better keep doing new things to keep them excited.”
There is no ceiling in sight for the Bananas, so for now, they are focused on soaking in the surreal nature of their day-to-day life.
“We shake our heads every time we come to a new city,” Gillum said.
Others are shaking their heads, too.
Before heading out to California, Kyle Luigs caught up with his dad earlier this week. As they laughed and reminisced about Luigs’ wild journey, his father left him with an overdue admission.
“Boy, am I glad I was wrong,” his father said regarding his initial hunch that the Bananas weren’t going anywhere.
In a way, though, he was right. Because the Bananas are not going anywhere.
Rather, they are going everywhere.
