‘Banana Ball’ heads to SC football stadium on Savannah baseball team’s world tour
A team famous for playing baseball a little differently is headed to a football stadium in South Carolina.
The Savannah Bananas, which has become something of a phenomenon thanks to their “Banana Ball” variant of the sport, is headed to Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, more commonly known as Death Valley. The Bananas’ upcoming 2025 Banana Ball World Tour, which leaves Savannah for 23 stops, will come through the college venue April 26, with fans needing to join a lottery list by Nov. 1 for a chance to purchase tickets.
“Clemson’s stadium would give the club the opportunity to break its single-game attendance record, which now stands at more than 45,000 after a Sept. 22, 2024 trip to Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia,” a press release states.
The release notes that Memorial Stadium has previously hosted “world-class events” such as The George Strait Country Music Festival, The Rolling Stones, Living Colour, Pink Floyd, Elton John, U2, the Eagles and Billy Joel.
Also included on the 2025 tour are the Atlanta Braves’ home of Truist Park, the Boston Red Sox’s home of Fenway Park, the Tennessee Titans’ home of Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and the Carolina Panthers’ home of Bank America Stadium in Charlotte, among other large professional sports stadiums.
“We are beyond excited to welcome the Bananas to the Valley,” Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff is quoted in the release. “The Bananas’ innovation in the sports and entertainment space is world-class, and we are delighted to open our doors to fans from all over as part of the World Tour. The atmosphere in Death Valley is as good as it gets, and we are eager to help create an unforgettable experience when the Bananas come to town in April 2025.”
The Bananas are a familiar presence in the Midlands, as the team previously competed in the Coastal Plain League, the wood bat collegiate summer league of which the Lexington County Blowfish is a part. The Savannah club left the league after the 2022 season, riding the popularity of their signature “Banana Ball” style of play to become an exhibition team specializing in the spectacle.
“Banana Ball” games are won by points instead of runs, with the team that gets the most runs in an inning getting a point. The games have a two-hour time limit, and other tweaks to the rules include bunts being disallowed and resulting in an automatic ejection, and batters being able to try to steal first base at any point in an at-bat, including on wild pitches or passed balls.
The team was profiled in an ESPN+ miniseries called “Bananaland” in 2022.
.jpg)