BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Forget everything you know about baseball.
When Banana Ball comes to Biloxi, the rules are different, the pace is faster, and pretty much anything can happen.
“I think that they’ve done a really good job of getting young people and older people to like their attention to baseball and bringing more attention to the positive side of the team sport and the actual sport of baseball itself,” Biloxi Shuckers Community Development Manager David Blackwell said.
The Loco Beach Coconuts and The Firefighters are bringing the show to the Coast. And behind the scenes, Keesler Federal Park is getting ready to welcome thousands of high-energy fans.
“We’ve been preparing; we’ve been working,” Blackwell said. “Our entire staff has put in the extra work to, as a team, you know, team effort to make sure our stadium’s ready.”
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RELATED: Shuckers, Coastal Mississippi, Visit Mississippi to bring Banana Ball to Keesler Federal Park
It all starts with Stadium Operations Manager Jeff Carman. His job is to make sure the ballpark runs seamlessly through the chaos and the crowds.
“We’ve done a lot of cleanup and trying to help make sure that it’s presentable. A lot of the small repair stuff, too, it takes a lot of time to go through and make sure that everything in here is exactly where it should be,” Carman said.
It’s about creating the kind of atmosphere Banana Ball is known for, where the fans come first.
“Banana Ball is pretty crazy exciting. It’s going to be a lot of people here. So, we’re going through making sure, again, everything in the facilities is up to what we need. And then we’re going to jam this place full and have a great time,” Carman said.
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For the Shuckers, it’s a chance to bring something completely different to Keesler Federal Park.
“This is obviously something that we’ve never seen here at Keesler Federal Park,” Blackwell said. “And so, I think that there will be a ton of different memories that will be created because of this.”
Keesler Federal Park will host The Firefighters and the Loco Beach Coconuts on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26, with both games starting at 7 p.m.
What can you expect from Banana Ball?
- Trick plays and incredible athletic performances
- Dancing players and crowd participation
- Family-friendly entertainment for all ages
What are the rules of Banana Ball?
- Win the inning, get a point: Every inning is worth one point. The team that gets the most runs in an inning gets a point for that inning, except for the last inning, where every run counts.
- No bunting: If a hitter bunts, they are ejected from the game.
- Two-hour game time limit: No new inning can be started after 2 hours.
- If a fan catches a foul ball, it counts as an out
- Batters can steal first base: On any pitch of an at-bat, the hitter can try to steal first base. This can happen on a passed ball or wild pitch.
- One-on-one tiebreaker showdowns if the game ends tied
- No walks: If a pitcher throws ball four, it becomes a sprint. The hitter will take off running while every defensive player on the field must touch the ball before it becomes live. The hitter can advance to as many bases as they want. The ball does not have to touch the catcher or pitcher.
- The Golden Batter Rule: Once per game, a team may send any hitter in the lineup to bat in any spot.
For more information on the rules, click here.
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