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How Clemson landed Savannah Bananas, what it cost for baseball game at Memorial Stadium
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- How Clemson landed Savannah Bananas, what it cost for baseball game at Memorial Stadium
CLEMSON — The Savannah Bananas are coming to Clemson football 's Memorial Stadium and will rent the venue at no charge, according to documents obtained by The Greenville News via an open records request.
In an agreement made in September 2024, Clemson is responsible for the facility infrastructure (field of play, dugouts, bullpens, backstops), concessions, its merchandising, parking, security and custodial staff. The Bananas will handle ticketing, their merchandising and Fan Fest event and on-field entertainment.
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Both sides agreed to these terms as the Bananas baseball team will face the Party Animals on April 26 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in "Banana Ball," which emphasizes entertainment rather than competitive baseball.
"We've been looking to bring some new or bring back some special events to Memorial Stadium, and we're considering other venues as well," said Eric Sabin, Clemson executive senior associate athletic director of finance and operations.
Clemson and the Bananas finalized the deal in September, but Sabin said talks for this event began in February 2024 with help from Tigers baseball coach Erik Bakich , who knew Bananas owner Jesse Cole. Bakich and Cole's relationship runs so strong that Clemson faced the Bananas in a "Banana Ball" exhibition in November at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Sabin added that talks progressed through the summer, and they decided to have the game at Memorial Stadium, marking the first time the Bananas will play at a college football stadium.
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Savannah Bananas media relations specialist Sam Bauman said 81,000 tickets sold out in three hours. It will mark the biggest non-NCAA event at Memorial Stadium since the George Strait Country Music Festival in 1999, according to Clemson spokesperson Jeff Kallin.
Clemson is projecting most of the revenue from the game to cover its expenses, but it hopes the national TV exposure of its facility and campus — and the Bananas expecting to have the largest crowd in their history — will pay dividends for future non-NCAA events.
MORE: Savannah Bananas 2025 schedule: Are tickets available for Clemson game? How to watch April game
"Being able to have our venues thought of as a world-class place to host an event," Kallin said. "The Bananas are going all around the country, all around the world, and they've never done one that has had more fans than this one."
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How Clemson is preparing for Savannah Bananas baseball game
Clemson presented different field options to the Bananas, and they opted to have the home-plate location near the front-left of the west end zone. On April 7, two days after its spring football game , Clemson began construction to change its football field to a baseball venue. The field from the west end zone to almost the 50-yard line has been transformed from grass to clay to create a baseball diamond and mound.
The field will have some of the shortest dimensions in Banana Ball history: 190 feet to the left-field wall. The shallow outfield will now require a 60-foot net, 23 feet taller than the Fenway Park's Green Monster, to protect fans. Right field will be 325 feet and right-center will be 363 feet. The stadium will have new backstops and padding around the field, too.
Kallin estimates Memorial Stadium's field resurfacing will cost $150,000, needing 200 tons of clay for the baseball infield and mound, but won't have the exact number until weeks after the game. Sabin added the field is going to be replaced within two weeks after the baseball game with natural "Ready Play Grass" to be ready for summer camps.
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Memorial Stadium has hosted non-football events throughout its history, notably concerts, but this is believed to be the first baseball game at the venue. Alcohol will be sold at the event, including a Banana-themed beverage, and Clemson-themed surprises are expected throughout the event.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Savannah Bananas: Why Banana Ball is at Clemson's football stadium
