Erik Bakich explains how Clemson will implement ideas learned from fall game vs. Savannah Bananas

The Clemson baseball team playing the Savannah Bananas in an exhibition during the fall wasn’t just a fun night for the program and fans. It also gave head coach Erik Bakich plenty of ideas for how to improve the environment at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2025 and beyond.

Bakich spoke with D1Baseball recently about the exhibition and how Clemson can implement some elements of Banana Ball to Clemson baseball.

“Getting to know Jesse Cole with the Savannah Bananas and just kind of seeing how he lives by his philosophy of ‘What everyone else does, do the opposite,’ it’s been really cool,” Erik Bakich said. “It’s created some neat unlocks of how can we make our atmosphere at our games different and more unique than what everyone else does?

“Obviously we can’t do the Savannah Bananas in its entirety, but we can do a few things that they’ve done and make our games more exciting. So the field renovations that we’re doing right now, we’re literally under construction right there, it’s all centered around atmosphere and fan experience, to steal one of Jesse Cole’s lines, ‘putting the fan first’ type of target.”

The Clemson baseball team hosted the Savannah Bananas All-Stars back in November, and the Tigers fully embraced Banana Ball.

Erik Bakich took off his jersey and was shirtless for a pregame weigh-in on the field, while Clemson players went viral after dancing mid-game.

Bakich obviously wont be running around the field shirtless this season, and players won’t break out dance moves in the middle of an at bat, but there are other aspects of Banana Ball that Clemson can implement.

“There will be some fun, neat things happening at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this season. But we are literally in the space of trying to do some things maybe no one else is doing right now,” Bakich said.

Jesse Cole, who is the owner of the Savannah Bananas, is creating a league with eight teams that will all play Banana Ball throughout the country.

Bakich described him as “a creative genius” and added that college baseball can learn from what Cole has done.

“The baseball community loves it. I mean it’s so unconventional, it’s so much fun. And actually getting to experience it – everyone’s seen the videos but until you actually do it in person – it’s a totally different experience in person,” Erik Bakich said. “Like the next day, I was more mentally drained after one game with the Savannah Bananas than a three-game set of nailbiters in ACC conference play, and that’s because you are so entertained and there’s just no off switch, there’s no pause button. It is full tilt, all go, every second there’s something happening. If you blink you’re going to miss something.

“I would totally encourage everyone who has never been to a Savannah Bananas game to get out and see one. And then just start thinking, ‘Man, how could college baseball adopt some of these things to make it more fun for the fans, for us, too.’ And that’s what we’re going to try to do this year.”