Athlete, Entertainer, Banana Baller: Parker Nolan ’22 Joins the Firefighters Baseball Team
Banana Ball blends entertainment and competitive baseball for a pastime time that’s catching on around the country. Parker Nolan ’22 is the latest scholar-athlete to get in on the fun.
To prepare for a 7 p.m. game, Parker Nolan ’22 and his teammates on the Firefighters arrive at the field around noon. This isn’t your average baseball game — it’s Banana Ball — which means rehearsing comedic moments, stunts, trick plays and dance breaks before fans start gathering outside.
“Everything we do, fans are at the forefront,” Nolan said. “Pre-game, I’m flying around the stands signing autographs, taking pictures and meeting people. All those rules in serious baseball about engaging with the audience and showing your personality — it’s all encouraged here.”
Banana Ball began in 2016 with the Savannah Bananas, who quickly gained popularity for their fresh take on America’s Pastime. A few years later, the Party Animals took to the field as the Bananas’ main competitors, and this season, the Firefighters became the third team in the league.
At Davidson College, Nolan found a second family on the baseball team and knew he wanted to keep playing after graduation. He first learned about Banana Ball from a former teammate, Savannah Bananas catcher and infielder Eric Jones ’19, who encouraged him to try out for the Firefighters. After a trial run with the team in Savannah, he was hooked.
Eric Jones ’19, catcher for the Savannah Bananas (pictured here doing his job), is among the leaders in Davidson College’s program history for batting average, hits, home runs and RBIs.
”Baseball has always been a huge part of my life,” Nolan said. “More and more, I appreciate what Davidson taught me about putting in a high level of work, effort and investment in everything I do.”
Just as competitive as it is fun, Banana Ball players must find a balance between entertaining the crowd and playing to win. While certain stunts and hijinks are scripted, the actual game unfolds in real time. As the league grows, recruiting has become more selective — many of Nolan’s teammates already have professional baseball careers under their belts.
Playing and performing in front of packed stadiums, he’s always learning new tricks and improvising with his teammates. Entertaining fans presents a fun, new challenge, and Nolan is determined to pick up as many skills as he can.
“I've always had the inclination to perform,” he said. “I was always dancing on the field, never taking myself too seriously. In a game with so much room for failure and competitiveness, cultivating that confidence and freedom is really nice.”
In the past few months, Nolan has practiced everything from TikTok dances to catching the ball mid-backflip. He’s even coined his own trick play, using his undershirt as a trampoline to spring pop flies to his teammates.
This July, the Firefighters played their biggest game of the season at the Washington Nationals’ stadium in D.C., facing the Savannah Bananas in front of nearly 42,000 people. As more fans embrace the fun, Nolan hopes to see more Banana Ball teams spring up across the country.
“It’s unbelievable how much this sport has grown,” he said. “It’s something I see myself doing for at least a few more years. Baseball has been such a huge part of my development as a person. It’s been a crazy experience, and I’m excited to see where it goes.”