Everything is Coming Up Bananas

Texas High alumnus Zack Phillips pitches for the Savannah Bananas
By Louie Avery

In the film A League of Their Own, Hollywood icon Tom Hanks (playing Jimmy Dugan) tells his players, “There’s no crying in baseball!” The character might have felt differently if he had ever been to a Savannah Bananas baseball game, where fans have been known to laugh so hard that tears flow. Former Texas High baseball player Zack Phillips can attest to that, having witnessed the fun and excitement during his rookie season with the Savannah team.

photo courtesy of the savannah bananas.

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team, based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 as a collegiate summer baseball team, but since 2022, they have been a purely “exhibition” team, playing only against their three partner teams, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, and the Texas Tailgaters. The Bananas are often compared to basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters—a fitting, if not one-for-one, comparison.

photo courtesy of the savannah bananas.

“Everyone thinks the Bananas are like the Globetrotters,” Zack said. “We are in a way, but the Globetrotters put on the same show every time. The Bananas’ show is different every game. We have different antics and different walkups. We try to do things no one has ever seen before on the field, and try our best to never repeat what we do.”

Zack started playing baseball when he was 3 years old.

“I basically lived at the baseball park with my mom [April Lane], who was the president of the Texarkana Arkansas Baseball Association,” the Bananas star relief pitcher said. “If you ask my parents, they’ll tell you I was a very shy kid and never wanted to do anything in front of people. Now I’m performing in front of 40,000-plus at some games. It’s crazy how my life has changed so much.”

The Bananas played in six Major League parks in 2024. That figure will be 18 big-league facilities in 2025.

photo courtesy of the savannah bananas.

Statistically speaking, Zack made Bananas history in 2024 with 59 relief appearances, pitching 76 innings. He had the pitching staff’s best earned-run average and was an all-star fan selection. He strikes out his share of batters with a fastball, changeup, curve, cutter, knuckleball, and submarine.

After graduating from Texas High, Zack played for two years at Grayson Junior College before transferring to Ole Miss. He was drafted after his junior season by the Kansas City Royals, making it to Double-A (the second-highest level of play in the Minor Leagues) before the Royals released him in 2023.

Zack’s baseball career might have been over then, if not for “The Dancing Umpire,” Vincent Chapman, who hooked him up with the Bananas.

Vincent Chapman, “The Dancing Umpire,” has known Zack since his Little League games. photo courtesy of vincent chapman.

Vincent grew up in Atlanta, Texas, and umpired youth baseball games all over Texas. He danced his way to umpiring for the Bananas in 2022, after a video of his performance garnered 12 million views and thousands of shares on social media.

“Vinny had been umpiring my games since I was 8 years old,” Zack said. “After the Royals released me, he gave me a call and told me I needed to come play for the Bananas. He scored me a tryout with them, and the rest was history.”

the bananas always make time to go meet fans and sign autographs after their games. photo courtesy of the savannah bananas.

Zack’s antics on and off the field make him a Bananas fan favorite.

“Besides pitching, you will find me roaming the stadium during the games, creating special moments with fans,” he said. “You might see me dancing on the dugout or doing a funny skit.”

The hardest part of Zack’s job is being away from his wife, Reagan. The couple resides in Benton, Arkansas. Reagan is currently in medical school, working on becoming a doctor.

Zack with his wife, reagan. submitted photo.

“We spend a lot of the year away from each other, but every chance I get to come home and see her and our dog, I do,” Zack said. “She’ll fly down to see me when she gets time off.”

Zack has signed a 2025 contract with the Bananas. Beyond that, however, his “future plans all depend on [his] wife and her medical career,” he said. “I could see myself playing for the Bananas for at least two or three more years. I would like to stay a part of the Bananas in some capacity.”