The Savannah Bananas, called the “Harlem Globetrotters” of baseball, play a unique brand of America’s national pastime.
Instead of a slow-paced, stop and start game, the team is famous for Banana Ball, which has rules like no walks, no bunting, no stepping out of the batter’s box, no mound visits and fans catching a foul ball for an out. It’s unlike anything the sports world has ever seen.
Just like regular baseball, however, the Bananas field a roster of 25 players. They are tasked with winning games against the likes of the Party Animals and the Firefighters, entertaining fans of all ages.
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Here’s a look at the Savannah Bananas roster for 2025, and the story of the greatest show on dirt.
Savannah Bananas player roster for 2025
| Name | No. | Pos. | Highest Level of Baseball |
| Bill Leroy | 1 | C | College (North Georgia) |
| Reese Alexiades | 2 | OF | Independent (Pioneer League) |
| Eric Jones | 3 | INF | A (Modesto Nuts) |
| KJ Jackson | 4 | UTL | College (Kent State) |
| DR Meadows | 5 | OF | College (Columbus State) |
| Ryan Cox | 6 | SS | Independent (Frontier League) |
| Ty Jackson | 7 | OF | College (Florida A&M) |
| Jackson Olson | 8 | INF | College (Stetson) |
| Alex Ziegler | 10 | EH | College (Pennsylvania Western) |
| Correlle Prime | 11 | 1B | AA (Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks) |
| Kyle Luigs | 12 | P | College (Jacksonville State) |
| Dalton Mauldin | 13 | INF | College (Trevecca Nazarene) |
| Dakota Albritton | 14 | UTL | High School |
| Robert Anthony Cruz | 15 | OF | College (Biola) |
| Danny Hosley | 18 | UTL | College (George Mason) |
| Dan Oberst | 19 | UTL | College (West Georgia) |
| Gage Voorhees | 20 | P | College (Flagler |
| Jared Donalson | 21 | P | College (Georgia Southwestern) |
| Austin Krzeminski | 22 | P | AAA (Salt Lake Bees) |
| Andy Archer | 24 | P | College (Hawaii) |
| Zack Phillips | 29 | P | AA (Northwest Arkansas Naturals) |
| Kyle Perry | 32 | P | College (Nebraska) |
| Ryan Kellogg | 49 | P | A+ (Myrtle Beach Pelicans) |
| Noah Niznik | 88 | P | College (Southeast Missouri State) |
| Malachi Mitchell | Lightning | DR | College (Florida A&M) |
Here are some of the most notable players and performers for the Savannah Bananas.
KJ Jackson
Jackson, 23, came straight from Kent State to the Bananas and is one of the team’s most popular players. He said on the Pivot Podcast with Ryan Clark that he always wanted to be a member of the Bananas. He is originally from Bowling Green, Ohio.
Dakota Albritton
Albritton never played baseball past high school, but he wowed Bananas coaches at a tryout by walking on stilts. His nickname is now “Stilts” because of his ability to throw and hit while using stilts during games. He also always wears his hat backwards.
Kyle Luigs
Luigs, a product of Jacksonville State, is one of the Bananas’ best pitchers. The right hander known as “Cowboy Kyle” grew up in Richmond Hills, Texas, wanting to be like Nolan Ryan. He now throws flaming baseballs from the mound for the Bananas.
Jackson Olson
Olson, a New Milford, Connecticut native, played at Stetson but went undrafted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He moved to California and started posting entertaining TikToks while working for Instacart. He now has 1.9 million followers on the platform and is sponsored by the company, while manning multiple infield positions for the Bananas.
Eric Jones
Jones played at Davidson college and reached Single-A in the Mariners’ system before serving as the bullpen catcher for the major league club. He is now an infielder for the Bananas and recently played in his hometown park (Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.).
Who coaches the Savannah Bananas?
The Bananas are coached by Tyler Gillum, who is in his eighth year with the organization. Before becoming the leading man, he spent five years as a collegiate league head coach, where he won back-to-back Coastal Plain League Championships in 2021 and 2022.
“Tyler is a special person,” said Bananas owner Jesse Cole, when naming Gillum the head coach of the World Tour team in 2023. “There are only a handful of coaches in the world like him that can connect with players and help them be at their best, both on the field and off the field. He knows how to recruit at a high level and build a winning organization. But most importantly, he truly understands how to build a team that puts the fans first with everything they do.”
Before joining the Bananas organization, Gillum coached at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. He was also a health and wellness faculty member at the school, where he oversaw exercise science, nutrition, and physical education programs.
Who owns the Savannah Bananas?
The Bananas are owned by Fans First Entertainment, a company founded by Jesse Cole. He has become world famous for wearing a yellow tuxedo and top hat at Bananas games.
Cole has helped grow the Bananas into a worldwide phenomenon since he bought the team in 2015. They have sold out every game since 2016 and have a waitlist of more than 2 million, according to Cole’s website. The Bananas also have more than 15 million social media followers and were the subject of five-part documentary on ESPN+ called Bananaland.
Do Savannah Bananas players get paid?
All four teams owned by Fans First Entertainment — including the the Savannah Bananas, the Party Animals, the Firefighters and the Texas Tailgaters — have paid players, according to the Bananas’ website.
