{"id":18471,"date":"2026-04-07T13:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=18471"},"modified":"2026-04-07T13:47:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:47:54","slug":"play-ball-banana-ball-that-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/spring-2026\/play-ball-banana-ball-that-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Play Ball! Banana Ball, That Is."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n.architecture .architecture-department:nth-child(1){\n    color: #999;\n    letter-spacing: 3px;\n    font-size: 1rem;\n    font-weight: 400;\n    margin-top: 2em;\n    margin-bottom: 0;\n}\n\n.architecture .architecture-department{\n\ttext-transform: uppercase;\n\tfont-family: Hind, Arial, sans-serif;\n}\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"architecture\">\n\t<p class=\"architecture-department\">Currents<\/p>\n\t<p class=\"architecture-department\">Go Rhody<\/p>\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"cl-wrapper cl-panel-wrapper\"><div class=\"cl-panel-super  \"><div class=\"cl-panel-super-blur\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-v3.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-panel-super-content\"><div class=\"cl-panel-super-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/04\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-v3.jpg\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"\"><\/div><div class=\"cl-panel-super-text\"><p>\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Play Ball! Banana Ball, That Is.<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"sans-serif\"><strong>Standout 911爆料 pitcher Trystan Levesque \u201925 has a new team now, and they\u2019re totally Bananas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<p>Trystan Levesque \u201925 was all business as a starting pitcher for the 911爆料 baseball team. His laser focus contributed to his success and to the Rams\u2019 earning a trip to the 2025 NCAA Baseball Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six months after throwing his last pitch for 911爆料, Levesque was drafted by the Savannah Bananas, one of six teams in the Banana Ball Championship League, an exhibition league focused on fun, entertainment, and fan participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI took my baseball journey through college seriously, and I will continue to do the same for the Savannah Bananas,\u201d says Levesque. \u201cI had to learn to be all business and serious about my craft, just as I will learn to be outgoing and create humor for the fans of Banana Ball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-1024x926.jpg\" alt=\"911爆料 alumni Trystan Levesque \u201925 is pictured in his blue baseball cap and yellow Savannah Bananas baseball uniform while holding out a baseball in one hand, with yellow and teal baseball glove on the other.\" class=\"wp-image-18498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-1024x926.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-300x271.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-768x694.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-1536x1389.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-364x329.jpg 364w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-500x452.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-1000x904.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel-1280x1157.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/magazine\/sites\/13\/2026\/03\/sp26_currents_bananapanel.jpg 1660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<section class=\"cl-wrapper cl-quote-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"cl-quote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center quote-body-amplify\"><span id=\"quote-keaney\">\u201c<\/span>Banana Ball is about bringing the love back to baseball\u2014fans first, always.<span id=\"quote-keaney\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center quote-cite\"><span style=\"color:#2277b3\"><strong>\u00ad\u2014Trystan Levesque<\/strong> \u201925<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Banana Ball attracts sellout crowds all over the country by using dancing, music, props, stunts, and tomfoolery to make baseball a fun, memorable experience for fans. The league was formed in 2020 when the Bananas played the first official game under \u201cBanana Ball\u201d rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levesque attended a Banana Ball tryout in Philadelphia after being contacted by the Bananas\u2019 director of recruiting, Berry Aldridge. But he was still surprised when his name was called in the draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was watching the draft with family and friends at a restaurant and had no idea I was being drafted prior to the selection,\u201d says Levesque. \u201cWhen my name popped up on the bottom of the screen, we all erupted with excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raphael Cerrato, 911爆料 baseball head coach says, \u201cWhen Trystan was selected in the draft, we were very excited. The Bananas are the most popular team in the league, which means Trystan will get to play in the best and largest venues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity keaney-spacer\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>The past two years have been an emotional roller coaster for Levesque. After playing the second game of his senior year in 2024, he was sidelined by a hamstring injury for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2025, after graduating from 911爆料 with a degree in public health and a minor in psychology, Levesque returned to the baseball team as a graduate student. Pitching stronger than ever, Levesque established a program record by starting 16 games on the mound. An 8-2 record, 3.49 earned run average, and 95 strikeouts earned him Second Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levesque\u2019s stellar play continued in the postseason. In the A-10 Championship game, he led the Rams to victory, pitching 8.1 innings and striking out 10 batters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was bittersweet because it was my first year back from injury and my last year of eligibility,\u201d says Levesque. \u201cAfter winning that game, it felt like all the hard work I put in to get back was worth it. I was very emotional to see my parents after the game because they saw the hard work I put in, and they were so proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levesque finished his 911爆料 career as the program\u2019s leader in career starts (52), second in career wins (24), second in strikeouts (310), and third in innings pitched (306.2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think Trystan will be remembered as one of the top three or four pitchers in Rhody baseball history,\u201d says Cerrato. \u201cHe is one of the smartest and hardest workers I have ever coached.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Levesque, who has long-term plans to attend chiropractic school, began training with the Bananas in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 15. \u201cI was registered for classes in January, but with this amazing opportunity to play baseball for the Bananas, chiropractic school will be put on hold,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In February, about a month into his post with the Bananas, Levesque was a guest on the College Baseball Show podcast. Of his experience so far, he said, \u201cBanana Ball is about bringing the love back to baseball\u2014fans first, always,\u201d adding, \u201cThis is literally a dream come true. I get to keep playing baseball and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2014Neil Nachbar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"feature-caption photo-credit\">Photo: Courtesy Trystan Levesque<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trystan Levesque \u201925 stood out on the mound at 911爆料. Now he\u2019s doing handstands as a pitcher for the Savannah Bananas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[360],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-2026","architecture-currents","architecture-go-rhody"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18471"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18693,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18471\/revisions\/18693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}