The Savannah Bananas are coming to Arizona this spring, bringing fans an exceptional, over-the-top baseball experience that will impress audiences with choreographed routines, dancing umpires, epic scoring celebrations and lots of other themed entertainment that has made the Bananas the latest sports sensation.
The not-your-average-baseball-team will return to Peoria Sports Complex on February 15, 16 and 17, 2024 and will then play in Mesa for the first time on April 25, 26 and 27, 2024 at Sloan Park, Spring Training Home of the Chicago Cubs. The Savannah Bananas’s rival team, the Party Animals, will also be traveling to Arizona where they will face the Bananas in the greatest show in sports.
Founded by owner Jesse Cole in 2016 with the vision to make baseball more entertaining for audiences, the Savannah Bananas put on one-of-a-kind shows that capture people’s attention for an entire baseball game and leave them wanting more by doing things fans have never seen on a baseball field before.
“A lot of people like to refer to us as the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. We are a barnstorming, traveling baseball team and basically the whole concept and the goal of what we do is to make baseball fun for everyone,” says former Savannah Banana and current Party Animal Collin Ledbetter. “The way we do that is by trick plays and dancing and interaction with the crowd—a lot of things that you wouldn’t find at a typical baseball game–that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Ledbetter joined the Savannah Bananas in 2022 and now plays as a right-handed pitcher for the Party Animals. He’ll be traveling back to his home state this spring to play against the Bananas in Arizona after witnessing a great turnout in Peoria and Scottsdale during last year’s tour.
“Being able to just play in front of all of my friends and family and show them what I’m passionate about and for them to get to experience the amazing thing that Bananas is now is just really special,” says Ledbetter. “Everywhere we go is a chance to play in front of someone who has never seen us before, and so we really focus on that first impression and leaving people wanting more.”
With the new Bananas season right around the corner, fans can look forward to even more exciting show experiences in 2024, including the addition of a third Banana Ball team, the Firefighters, as well as the introduction of new trick plays, new dance routines and new crowd interactions.
The Savannah Bananas and Party Animals have seen tremendous growth over the last year across all social media platforms, allowing both teams to reach new audiences and engage with fans in more ways. This September, the Savannah Bananas organization was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame where visitors can find a history of the team, as well as some of the most memorable entertainment videos and team artifacts, including jerseys, scorecards, Banana balls and more.
“We truly have a nationwide and even global fanbase at this point, which is really crazy to think about, but I think it opens up a lot of opportunities for us,” says Ledbetter. “We have such a big platform now that we’re able to use to impact so many people. One of the focuses on all of our social media is to bring joy to the people that are seeing our content and to interact with fans in a way that maybe some of their other favorite sports teams or favorite athletes would never interact.”
The Savannah Bananas games in Peoria and Mesa begin at 7 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Fans will enjoy a DJ and merchandise tents prior to entering the stadium and non-stop entertainment all-night long that continues after the game, giving fans the chance to meet and take pictures with players and entertainers.
Due to high demand, tickets to Savannah Bananas games are obtained through a lottery system, which fans can enter by clicking here and selecting the game they want to attend before the lottery closes on December 1, 2023. A random drawing will take place before the game and those who are selected will have the opportunity to purchase tickets.
Stay up to date with the Savannah Bananas and the Party Animals on social media @thesavbananas and @thepartyanimals, and follow @collin_ledbetter_ on all platforms to connect with Ledbetter who is always trying to interact with as many new fans as possible. For more information on how to get game tickets and to view the 2024 Banana Ball World Tour schedule, visit thesavannahbananas.com.
