Savannah Bananas to Visit Death Valley, Memorial Stadium Next Season

The Savannah Bananas, one of baseball’s most exciting teams, is set to visit Memorial Stadium next year.

Reggie Horton signs an autograph for a fan on Saturday, September 28, 2024 during the Savannah Bananas' final home series of the season at Historic Grayson Stadium. / Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Savannah Bananas are used to doing things that no other baseball team does.

What was once a typical minor-league affiliate has become one of the most entertaining baseball teams on the planet, the sport’s answer to the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Bananas is about to wrap up a national tour in which it played in Major League Parks for the first time, including Fenway Park in Boston and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

But, on Thursday, the Bananas announced their 2025 schedule, which they call their “draft.” It’s a self-styled NFL Draft-type atmosphere.

During the draft, the Bananas announced a trip to Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 4-5, followed by two separate weekend stints at Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Ga.

Then? It’s on to Clemson to play a game on April 26 at Memorial Stadium.

That’s right. Not the baseball stadium. Memorial Stadium. It will be the first time the Bananas have played in a football venue, college or pro.

Savannah announced it hopes to fill the stadium with 81,500 fans for the contest. That would break the Bananas’ attendance record of 45,000, which it set in Philadelphia recently.

According to Jon Blau of the Post and Courier, that means the game will have some unique configurations. For instance, the left-field wall will only be 190 feet from home plate, while it will be 325 feet to right field and 363 feet to right center.

Because of the extremely short porch in left field, a 50 foot tall net will be built to handle anything hit that direction. That net will be 13 feet taller than Boston’s Green Monster.

Clemson announced the game alongside the Bananas’ release.

“We are beyond excited to welcome the Bananas to the Valley,” said Director of Athletics Graham Neff, who helped organize the event on Clemson’s behalf. “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.”

Tickets for the game will with tickets to be sold and managed by the Bananas organization and broadcast information to be announced at a later date. Fans must join the lottery list by Nov. 1, 2024, in order to have the opportunity to purchase tickets. Clemson said that there would be additional promotion events around the game.