CLEMSON – On Thursday night, Doug Kingsmore played host to some kind of party.

The Clemson Baseball team played host to the Savannah Bananas in exhibition action in front of a capacity crowd. It was the first time ever the Bananas have faced off against a college program of any kind.

However, it was so much more than a baseball game. It was actually more of a show. Some might even call it a spectacle.

There was a home run derby, which was won by Clemson’s Collin Priest. There was song and dance. There were shirtless head coaches. There were numerous trick plays, unsurprisingly with most being executed by the Bananas. There was even a horse.

Jay Dillard

It was the kind of event that head coach Erik Bakich believes will have a profound impact on his program moving forward.

“Damn right,” Bakich said. “Every recruit should know, come to Clemson and we are going to do awesome stuff like this. It is going to be electric. We are going to create electric atmospheres going way against the grain if we have to and get creative. And we aren’t done. We’re talking about concerts and restaurants and all kinds of stuff on this field. It’s coming. I mean it’s coming and I can’t wait to dig in and be a part of all of it.”

The Bananas would come away victorious by a 4-1 score with Banana Ball Rules in effect. Although, when it was over, no one in attendance cared who won. Close to an hour after the festivities, a large part of the crowd was still inside of the stadium, having a grand ole time with players from both teams as music blared from a stage that was setup just inside of the home plate gate.

Bakich, in particular, wasn’t concerned with the final score. Entering his third season as the Tigers’ head coach, he was more than pleased with the exposure his players got on what was an extremely successful evening.

“We’re not measuring the win today based on the scoreboard,” he said. “There’s so many wins in today’s– whatever you call it. For our players to get exposure, the three million followers that they have. They have their plays, their content and all the cool stuff they did. To go viral on social media and what that will do and putting the spotlight on them.”

“In today’s world that we live in, the NIL spotlight should be on football and basketball. But when we can shine the spotlight on college baseball and something awesome like this that is a huge win. Tonight was a huge win in promoting and highlighting our team.”

One of the biggest wins the program experienced just might come on the recruiting trail. As Bakich put it, who wouldn’t want to come to Clemson and take part in these kinds of events.

“Who wouldn’t want to participate in something like this,” Bakich added. “You got to divorce the traditional… this isn’t baseball. This is just a way more fun version of baseball. You just got to embrace it.”

The Tigers have been playing Banana Ball about twice a month in practice since Bakich took over the program ahead of the 2022 season. It is something each of his teams has fully embraced. And why not? Who wouldn’t want to be a part of what some might describe as the greatest show on a baseball diamond?

“That is the greatest show right there,” Bakich said. “Absolutely incredible. The energy that was in this stadium tonight, we just got to find a way… and we will do it to create that energy here as often as possible.”

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!