When Garrett DeClue was playing baseball for Western Nebraska Community College in 2019, he never released that he would be playing in the Savannah Bananas organization.
Today, DeClue is one of the players on The Firefighters, who plays against the Savannah Bananas at sold out venues around the country.
“Every game is fun and nothing is scripted. Some people call it the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball,” DeClue, who is from Lilttleton, Colorado, said. “A lot of the guys on the team have already played Triple A ball. They are competitive and talented. Every game we play is sold out and there is a wait list to just get tickets. When you are in front of that many people, no one wants to lose and look bad.”
The Savannah Bananas is an organization that brings fun to baseball, just like the Globetrotters do for basketball. DeClue said the motto of the traveling baseball team that plays at sold-out venues, is “Fans First” and that is what DeClue loves about being a part of the organization.
DeClue isn’t on the Bananas team, but he is one of the members of the teams that the Bananas play against. He started out playing for the Party Animals at the beginning of the season, but then was moved to the Firefighters. He said it was ironic that he is part of the Bananas organization.
“Savannah Bananas messaged me on Instragram for a tryout, so I went to California for a tryout in early October and they said they would get back to me in November if I made it or not,” DeClue said. “They got back to me and said I would be a good fit on the Party Animals. I played for the Party Animals for the first half of the season and then the Firefighters were announced as another team and they started the second half of the season and needed a leftie pitcher and they asked me to go over there.”
So, that is the team that DeClue is playing for now when the Bananas play games.
DeClue said the actual baseball games have 11 special rules and they perform one or two dance routines each game. While there are fun things for the fans to enjoy, the biggest thing that he loves is going into the stands and signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans.
“There are 80 games in the season from February all the way to October,” he said. “Our motto is Fans First. We sign autographs during the game if you are not playing or pitching. They like you being up in the stands taking pictures and doing things that are not done at a normal baseball game. Then, after the game, we go and sign autographs and take pictures and meet the fans and try to connect with every fan that is there to make them feel special, feel loved.”
Banana Ball has grown through the years and what the Savannah Bananas are today are different from when they started back in 2018 when they played in a summer collegiate league. Savannah Bananas plays their games in Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Georgia.
What makes the Savannah Bananas entertaining is the rules that they follow. The game starts when they start the 2-hour clock. Every inning is worth a point and there are special rules where there is no stepping out of the batters box, no bunting, batters can steal first, no walks allowed, no mound visits, and the big one where if a fan catches a foul ball, it is an out.
DeClue said they travel all over and have played at six MLB stadiums this year, but usually they play at minor league stadiums.
“The games are competitive,” DeClue said. “We add some dances in and I think there are like two dances a game. We make it quick and there new rules to make it interesting and get the fans involved and having some fun.”
The Savannah Bananas will be playing somewhat close to Scottsbluff or Denver in the coming months when they are in Salt Lake City August 30 and 31 to play The Party Animals and then September 6-8 in Des Moines, Iowa, to play The Party Animals. The Firefighters next games against the Bananas or Party Animals are July 19 and 20 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and then July 26 and 27 in Greenville, South Carolina.
This is something that DeClue enjoys doing and hopes to keep doing it as long as he can.
“I would love to do this as long as they let me and keep coming back,” he said.
Ironic enough, Savannah Bananas head coach Tyler Gillum knows WNCC baseball coaches Mike Jones and Ryan Burgner. Gillum coached at South Mountain Community College and has been coach of the Bananas since 2018, helping the Bananas win two CPL championships before going all-in on Banana Ball rules.
For DeClue, he only spent one year of playing at WNCC because his sophomore year in 2020 was canceled because of COVID. Again, it was ironic because WNCC was playing Gillum’s team South Mountain when the season was canceled. DeClue remembers everything that happened and how his WNCC career ended and how he ended up at the University of Cumberland the following year.
“Every guy I know, knows coach Jones and has good things to say and speaks highly of him and I do the same. I love Coach Jones and Coach Burgner and the whole program,” DeClue said about his time at WNCC. “I was there the full freshman year and then my sophomore year was the COVID year which we were out playing Coach Gillum in Arizona when they canceled our season. I had in my mind I was going to come back for a third year but then the University of Cumberland reached out. It happened so fast and I just committed.”
His freshman year at WNCC, DeClue appeared in 17 games and pitched 40.2 innings with 35 strikeouts. His sophomore in the shortened season, he appeared in four games with nine strikeouts before the season was canceled.
At Cumberland, he helped Cumberland to the NAIA World Series. He finished with a 15-0 record in his three years on the hill with 125 innings pitched with one save, 155 strikeouts (82 in 2023), and a career ERA of 4.46.
DeClue said at WNCC and Cumberland, he developed a lot as a player and pitcher.
“I enjoyed my time (at WNCC) and I loved the boys, the program, and I was learning a lot and I developed,” he said. “I guess, for some reason, I made the decision to go to Cumberland and spent three years there. It was awesome. I learned a lot there and made some good friends, made some memories there and made it to the World Series which was pretty cool.”
Now, with his new role with the Savannah Bananas organization, he is with one of the top teams in sellouts. DeClue said they are bringing fun back into baseball.
“It was fun to travel around and you consider this as an independent pro team when I travel around and sign autographs with the kids,” he said. “I definitely have signed over 100 autographs. That is what makes it feel so special like the all-stars in the MLB. It is all fun and I never imagined doing something like this. I will never take it for granted and I always look back on WNCC to even have a chance to do this. It is cool to look back and I never take all this for granted. I always make sure I stay humble and just to remember what it took to get here.”
