Fresno State Athletics
Going Bananas: Grady Morgan’s A-Peel-ing Rise in Banana Ball
4/9/2026 11:52:00 AM | Baseball
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Baseball has become one of the most quickly evolving sports in the country. Fresno State Baseball alumnus Grady Morgan knows this better than almost anyone, as a member of the fastest-growing baseball league in the world.
Morgan began his college career with stops at Chico State and Butte College before landing at Fresno State. In his senior season with the Diamond 'Dogs, Morgan was a regular contributor to the team as the starting right fielder, leading the squad in RBIs with 58.
Following Fresno State's Mountain West Championship run in 2024, Morgan was hopeful for an opportunity to play professional ball after wrapping up his college career. For most athletes, that means crossing your fingers and hoping to hear your name called in the MLB Draft. "After that season ended, I had a little bit of contact with a club. They told me that I was on their draft board and they'd keep an eye out for me," Morgan said. "I had a pretty good feeling I was going to get picked up by someone late in the draft, or maybe as a free agent."
In the 2024 MLB Draft, Grady Morgan went undrafted and unsigned.
"At that time, I was considering hanging up the cleats and calling it a career," Morgan explained. He gave himself three days to process the draft results before making any career-defining decisions. "After a lot of conversations with family about the path that I was on, I decided to give independent ball a chance."
Morgan got in touch with Troy Percival, World Series Champion and head coach of the Idaho Falls Chukars, an independent baseball team in the Pioneer League. The Chukars were looking for a left-handed outfielder and took a chance on Morgan. "I ended up signing a contract that next day, and I was headed to Idaho Falls and played my first game four days later," Morgan said. He closed out the 2024 season playing 30 games for the Chukars, and soon after signed a contract with the club for 2025.
After closing out his first season of independent ball, Morgan moved back home to Laguna Beach, California, and got a job at a local surf shop. "It wasn't until April of 2025, about a year ago, that I started saying to myself, 'I'm about to be 25, I'm playing independent ball, where do I see myself going from here?'" He was still looking for a chance to play at the next level.
In search of his next opportunity, he weighed out his options. One that stood out compared to the rest was Banana Ball, a fast-paced, entertainment-focused version of baseball created by the Savannah Bananas.
Banana Ball's origins began when the Savannah Bananas were just a summer ball team in Georgia that went viral on social media for their unique, fan-first in-game entertainment, integrated into the traditional game of baseball. After seven years of collegiate summer ball, the Savannah Bananas broke off. They created their own league, the Banana Ball Championship League, home to six teams that all play a new version of baseball called Banana Ball. Very similar to America's pastime, Banana Ball aims to make baseball faster-paced, more entertaining, and more fun, with on-field antics and fan interaction.
Since its inception, the Savannah Bananas and the rest of the BBCL have sold out every single game, from minor league baseball parks to NFL stadiums and venues of all sizes in between.
Morgan took a chance and sent a direct message to the Savannah Bananas and the rest of the Banana Ball teams on Instagram. The teams responded with a link to a prospective baseball player form, asking for the kind of metrics you'd expect an athlete to provide: height, weight, position, college experience, etc. The Bananas, however, are looking for more than just high-level athletes. The Bananas are searching for all-around entertainers.
The bottom of the form asks for "a quick video to show us why you deserve to be a Banana Baller" and specifically states, "Save the highlight tapes, we want to see your special talent or personality".
One thing to note about Grady Morgan: the guy loves karaoke.
Morgan sent in a video from his time with the OC Riptide, a collegiate summer ball team he played for before his senior season. In the video, Morgan is singing karaoke (Love Story by Taylor Swift, for the record) on the bus with his summer ball teammates.
Two days later, Morgan got a text from Barry Aldridge, the Banana Ball recruiting coordinator, asking to hop on a call. "He sold me on The Visitors, the developmental team for Banana Ball," Morgan said. He signed a six-week contract to play for The Visitors, the official developmental team for Banana Ball, serving as a high-energy, temporary squad, designed to train and audition players for the league.
In those six weeks, Morgan and the rest of the Visitors developed both on and off the field in preparation for the Banana Ball Draft. "We went through typical baseball practice, ground balls, fly balls, defensive work, batting practice," he said. "What we had to do differently was incorporate trick plays into every possible ball that we could. You want to be comfortable catching a routine fly ball as a trick every time you can."
According to the Banana Ball rule book, a trick play out is a routine play made in a non-routine fashion that must result in an out. Any player on the diamond can record a trick play. A trick play can be made on the ground, in the air or via a strikeout. Trick plays are a recorded stat in Banana Ball and affect the game's final score, making them crucial to master. "It's just like anything else. You practice it enough, and it just becomes second nature," he said.
The Visitors also had opportunities to develop as entertainers off the field, becoming comfortable dancing in front of the camera, interacting with fans, and building a social media presence. After his six weeks in Savannah, Morgan returned to Idaho Falls to finish the indy season and waited for a chance to be a Banana Baller.
Fast forward to November 2025, Morgan was drafted by the Loco Beach Coconuts, a newly added club to the league, in the 10th round of the inaugural Banana Ball Draft.
"[The Coconuts] is a brand-new brand, and to be a part of something so new, we get to make it whatever we want. This is our brand that we get to play off of, and we are just building more and more fans every day," Morgan said of the new club. "We're creating something new, and the sky is the limit."
In his first season as a Coconut, Morgan has played in nine sold-out games. Most notably, the Southern California native played in a pair of sold-out games at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres.
"It was definitely a bucket list item I didn't know if I'd ever check off," he said. "It was such a cool experience to get to play in the same stadium that I was in as a fan watching a Padres playoff game just a year and a half ago. Now here I am playing in front of a sold-out crowd in that same stadium. The energy and the noise, playing in that stadium is something I'll never forget."
Morgan shared this full-circle moment in San Diego with his biggest fan: his father, Mike. "My dad's been a Padres fan his whole life, and we got to play catch on the field together. It was a super cool moment for him and me," he said.
Since joining the BBCL, Morgan has grown his social media following by building his personal brand, centered on Banana Ball and his love for karaoke. At the start of his Banana Ball journey, he had just over 200 followers on TikTok and now boasts over 38,000.
He credits his time at Fresno State with helping him prepare for life on baseball's most rapidly growing stage. "Fresno State helped me become a professional. Learning how to carry myself on and off the field, learning the proper way to interview," Morgan said. "That all helps in Banana Ball, especially in big moments. In those moments, there are interviews right after something big happens. We're out there having fun and playing the game that we love, but at the same time, we still have to keep that professionalism. Fresno State helped me with the professionalism part of baseball."
To follow Morgan's journey with the Coconuts and to learn more about Banana Ball, visit BananaBall.com.
Morgan began his college career with stops at Chico State and Butte College before landing at Fresno State. In his senior season with the Diamond 'Dogs, Morgan was a regular contributor to the team as the starting right fielder, leading the squad in RBIs with 58.
Following Fresno State's Mountain West Championship run in 2024, Morgan was hopeful for an opportunity to play professional ball after wrapping up his college career. For most athletes, that means crossing your fingers and hoping to hear your name called in the MLB Draft. "After that season ended, I had a little bit of contact with a club. They told me that I was on their draft board and they'd keep an eye out for me," Morgan said. "I had a pretty good feeling I was going to get picked up by someone late in the draft, or maybe as a free agent."
In the 2024 MLB Draft, Grady Morgan went undrafted and unsigned.
"At that time, I was considering hanging up the cleats and calling it a career," Morgan explained. He gave himself three days to process the draft results before making any career-defining decisions. "After a lot of conversations with family about the path that I was on, I decided to give independent ball a chance."
Morgan got in touch with Troy Percival, World Series Champion and head coach of the Idaho Falls Chukars, an independent baseball team in the Pioneer League. The Chukars were looking for a left-handed outfielder and took a chance on Morgan. "I ended up signing a contract that next day, and I was headed to Idaho Falls and played my first game four days later," Morgan said. He closed out the 2024 season playing 30 games for the Chukars, and soon after signed a contract with the club for 2025.
After closing out his first season of independent ball, Morgan moved back home to Laguna Beach, California, and got a job at a local surf shop. "It wasn't until April of 2025, about a year ago, that I started saying to myself, 'I'm about to be 25, I'm playing independent ball, where do I see myself going from here?'" He was still looking for a chance to play at the next level.
In search of his next opportunity, he weighed out his options. One that stood out compared to the rest was Banana Ball, a fast-paced, entertainment-focused version of baseball created by the Savannah Bananas.
Banana Ball's origins began when the Savannah Bananas were just a summer ball team in Georgia that went viral on social media for their unique, fan-first in-game entertainment, integrated into the traditional game of baseball. After seven years of collegiate summer ball, the Savannah Bananas broke off. They created their own league, the Banana Ball Championship League, home to six teams that all play a new version of baseball called Banana Ball. Very similar to America's pastime, Banana Ball aims to make baseball faster-paced, more entertaining, and more fun, with on-field antics and fan interaction.
Since its inception, the Savannah Bananas and the rest of the BBCL have sold out every single game, from minor league baseball parks to NFL stadiums and venues of all sizes in between.
Morgan took a chance and sent a direct message to the Savannah Bananas and the rest of the Banana Ball teams on Instagram. The teams responded with a link to a prospective baseball player form, asking for the kind of metrics you'd expect an athlete to provide: height, weight, position, college experience, etc. The Bananas, however, are looking for more than just high-level athletes. The Bananas are searching for all-around entertainers.
The bottom of the form asks for "a quick video to show us why you deserve to be a Banana Baller" and specifically states, "Save the highlight tapes, we want to see your special talent or personality".
One thing to note about Grady Morgan: the guy loves karaoke.
Morgan sent in a video from his time with the OC Riptide, a collegiate summer ball team he played for before his senior season. In the video, Morgan is singing karaoke (Love Story by Taylor Swift, for the record) on the bus with his summer ball teammates.
Two days later, Morgan got a text from Barry Aldridge, the Banana Ball recruiting coordinator, asking to hop on a call. "He sold me on The Visitors, the developmental team for Banana Ball," Morgan said. He signed a six-week contract to play for The Visitors, the official developmental team for Banana Ball, serving as a high-energy, temporary squad, designed to train and audition players for the league.
In those six weeks, Morgan and the rest of the Visitors developed both on and off the field in preparation for the Banana Ball Draft. "We went through typical baseball practice, ground balls, fly balls, defensive work, batting practice," he said. "What we had to do differently was incorporate trick plays into every possible ball that we could. You want to be comfortable catching a routine fly ball as a trick every time you can."
According to the Banana Ball rule book, a trick play out is a routine play made in a non-routine fashion that must result in an out. Any player on the diamond can record a trick play. A trick play can be made on the ground, in the air or via a strikeout. Trick plays are a recorded stat in Banana Ball and affect the game's final score, making them crucial to master. "It's just like anything else. You practice it enough, and it just becomes second nature," he said.
The Visitors also had opportunities to develop as entertainers off the field, becoming comfortable dancing in front of the camera, interacting with fans, and building a social media presence. After his six weeks in Savannah, Morgan returned to Idaho Falls to finish the indy season and waited for a chance to be a Banana Baller.
Fast forward to November 2025, Morgan was drafted by the Loco Beach Coconuts, a newly added club to the league, in the 10th round of the inaugural Banana Ball Draft.
"[The Coconuts] is a brand-new brand, and to be a part of something so new, we get to make it whatever we want. This is our brand that we get to play off of, and we are just building more and more fans every day," Morgan said of the new club. "We're creating something new, and the sky is the limit."
In his first season as a Coconut, Morgan has played in nine sold-out games. Most notably, the Southern California native played in a pair of sold-out games at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres.
"It was definitely a bucket list item I didn't know if I'd ever check off," he said. "It was such a cool experience to get to play in the same stadium that I was in as a fan watching a Padres playoff game just a year and a half ago. Now here I am playing in front of a sold-out crowd in that same stadium. The energy and the noise, playing in that stadium is something I'll never forget."
Morgan shared this full-circle moment in San Diego with his biggest fan: his father, Mike. "My dad's been a Padres fan his whole life, and we got to play catch on the field together. It was a super cool moment for him and me," he said.
Since joining the BBCL, Morgan has grown his social media following by building his personal brand, centered on Banana Ball and his love for karaoke. At the start of his Banana Ball journey, he had just over 200 followers on TikTok and now boasts over 38,000.
He credits his time at Fresno State with helping him prepare for life on baseball's most rapidly growing stage. "Fresno State helped me become a professional. Learning how to carry myself on and off the field, learning the proper way to interview," Morgan said. "That all helps in Banana Ball, especially in big moments. In those moments, there are interviews right after something big happens. We're out there having fun and playing the game that we love, but at the same time, we still have to keep that professionalism. Fresno State helped me with the professionalism part of baseball."
To follow Morgan's journey with the Coconuts and to learn more about Banana Ball, visit BananaBall.com.
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