By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Kenan Stadium was packed on a beautiful spring afternoon, and the atmosphere was bananas. And Tar Heels fans went bananas over one of their favorite stars.
Caleb Wilson got to hear loud cheers from Carolina fans one more time. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch Sunday before the second of two Savannah Bananas weekend games against the Texas Tailgaters. He was wearing a Bananas jersey with, of course, No. 8 on it.
Wilson’s role in the pregame scene fits the spirit of the event, which leans as much into performance as it does baseball. It also gave the crowd a familiar face to rally around before the first inning began, and Wilson appreciated how simple the invitation was.
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“They just asked me to do it, so I said it would be really cool if I got to do it,” Wilson said.
In Saturday’s game, UNC football coach Bill Belichick briefly was a first-base coach, throwing a challenge flag to protest an out call. It was reversed.
For Wilson, it was a first, even if he looked comfortable and confident walking to the mound in front of a stadium full of fans.
“I never threw a first pitch before,” he said. “It was really cool.”
He has a baseball background, having played baseball until eighth grade before quitting to focus on basketball. That obviously was a good choice.
“I played first [base] and shortstop,” he said. “I played a little bit of third [base], too.”
The pitch itself came out clean, with enough life to draw a reaction from the crowd and a few approving gestures from the field. Wilson credited caution more than nerves, and he mentioned recovering from right thumb surgery as a factor in his not letting it fly.
“My thumb’s still getting better, so I could have thrown it faster,” Wilson said. “I was getting a little cautious, but at least I got it in the box. That’s all that matters.”
The moment did not end with the ball hitting the catcher’s glove. Wilson turned toward the infield, where he exchanged high-fives and a hug with Texas Tailgaters pitcher Chris Clarke, helping transition the crowd from pregame pageantry to the main event.
“I threw a strike, so I got to bring everybody in, and then we got the game started,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s interactions were brief but memorable, and he described one moment that stuck with him after the pitch. He met Bananas owner Jesse Cole, who has become as recognizable as any player in the traveling production.
“I was able to meet the owner, Jesse,” Wilson said. “He’s a really nice guy. I gave him my jersey. It was really cool. It was a great experience.”
The final score was Bananas 5, Tailgaters 4, but those were points rather than runs using a unique scoring system. After the game, the Bananas celebrated by dancing to music between the mound and home plate.
After the game, there was postgame party on Stadium Drive.
Much like the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan was racking up NBA titles, the Bananas were introduced with “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project in the background.
The music boomed through Kenan’s sound system, the team danced and posed through the introductions, and the stadium responded with the sort of roar typically reserved for football Saturdays.
Fans saw history in a way. The right-field wall was the closest for any game in Bananas’ history at 206 feet, a foot closer than it was at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium last year.
That quirk, tailored to the footprint of a football stadium and the logistics of turning Kenan into a baseball venue, created a unique vibe. It looked like a home-run invitation, especially for hitters who could elevate the ball, but no one cashed it in.
No hitters took advantage of that easy home-run shot, but there were a couple of home runs to right-center field.
The Blue Zone seats, for once, were prime spots for a game since they were behind the first-base line. There was a bullpen located where UNC players usually stand during football games, and the sight of pitchers warming up in an area typically reserved for sideline routines underscored how thoroughly the Bananas transform whatever building they enter.
It was the second straight sellout; the crowd was huge, but there were still empty seats in pockets. The noise never dipped for long, and even routine moments were met with music cues, chants, and constant movement in the aisles.
It was a rare day at Kenan when the predominant color wasn’t Carolina blue. There was lots of yellow in the crowd, from banana costumes to bright shirts and foam accessories that turned sections of the stadium into something closer to a festival than a typical Sunday afternoon sporting event.
Carolina blue still appeared, scattered through the stands, but it blended into an afternoon dominated by yellow.
Fans in the final inning heard a song you’d never hear at UNC because it’s commonly played at Duke games: “Everytime We Touch,” by Cascada. Don’t expect that to happen again anytime soon in Chapel Hill!
The day began with a street fair on Stadium Drive, and the energy carried into the stadium long before the first pitch. Some fans paid $125 to meet players before the game and get a first-hand tour of the Bananas operation, including a visit to the press box.
There was much more than baseball, including a baby race and a pregnant-woman dance-off featuring a contestant who was nine months pregnant. Between innings, there were skits and other activities as the crowd rarely settled into their seats like the quiet rhythms of a traditional game.
The Bananas model is built on keeping the audience engaged, and Kenan responded the way the Bananas count on crowds responding, with noise, laughter, and constant attention.
Kenan has hosted plenty of different shows over the years, but the Bananas brand of spectacle is a different sort of loud. For Wilson, it was an unexpected chance to be part of it, and to step into the Chapel Hill spotlight one more time.
Photos by Smith Hardy (except jersey photo)
