Savannah Bananas On SI

A Broadway Star Just Joined the Savannah Bananas!

Derek Klena is going to be a Savannah Banana!

Samuel Collier

Savannah Banana owner Jesse Cole addresses the sold out crowd ahead of the Savannah Bananas game against the Texas Tailgaters Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Savannah Banana owner Jesse Cole addresses the sold out crowd ahead of the Savannah Bananas game against the Texas Tailgaters Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. / Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Savannah Bananas are at it again! There is never an end to the creativity when it comes to this team! Jesse Cole just announced that Derek Klena, who is a broadway star, will join the team. Not just to sing, but to actually play!

Klena has played many roles in broadway productions. He has been Fiyero in Wicked, Dmitry in Anastasia, and Christian in Moulin Rouge! He has also appeared in TV shows like Pretty Little Liars and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

But he doesn't just sing and act! He can play baseball too! Klena played college baseball at the Division 1 level. He was a pitcher at UCLA. And now, he is going to be joining the Savannah Bananas! Jesse Cole has made entertainment, and music in particular, a huge focus and Klena will be a huge boost in the entertainment at Banana Ball games! He will have the opportunity to perform (and play!) in sold out stadiums all acorss the country.

This season, Banana Ball will be an official league with six total teams. The Savannah Bananas, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, the Texas Tailgaters, the Loco Beach Coconuts, and the Indianapolis Clowns will all be competing for a championship. There will be standings and playoffs and everything that we love about traditional sports. But this crazy sport that the Bananas play will still include all of the wild things that we love about it. There will be jokes, dancing, trick plays, guys pitching on stilts, guys batting on unicycles, and so much more! And what seems apparent, is that there will be a lot more live musical performances. This season is going to be incredible!

If you want to follow the Banana Ball Championship League closely this year then you are not going to want to miss our coverage of it at Banana Breakdown! We will be covering every game and be interviewing players all throughout the season! Make sure to subscribe to the Banana Breakdown Podcast on YouTube! And check out our latest livestream!

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Samuel Collier
SAMUEL COLLIER

Sammy is the co-host of the Banana Breakdown Podcast where he breaks down all things Banana Ball. A graduate from Brigham Young University, Sammy has also written for publications such as: Provo Music Magazine, Modal Music Magazine, and KPOPWORLD. He is eager to dive into Banana Ball games and show how exciting the sport really is

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