Savannah Bananas set to leave collegiate league for their own path of entertainment

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The Savannah Bananas, who became a national sensation with their irreverent style of baseball, are leaving the Coastal Plain League to focus full attention on their professional barnstorming team.

Owner Jesse Cole made the announcement in a YouTube video, saying "we’ll be able to bring the Savannah Bananas to more people in Savannah and around the world."

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The Bananas joined the summer league for college players in 2016, playing in historic Grayson Stadium after the departure of the city’s longtime minor league team.

The Savannah Bananas, who became a national sensation with their irreverent style of baseball, are leaving the Coastal Plains League to focus full attention on their professional barnstorming team. Owner Jesse Cole made the announcement in a YouTube video, saying "we'll be able to bring the Savannah Bananas to more people in Savannah and around the world." (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

The amateur team was an immediate sensation, on and off the field. With antics that drew attention from national media and a team that won three CPL titles, including the last two, the Bananas have sold out every home game since their founding.

Cole built on that success by launching a pro team that plays a version of the game known as "Banana Ball," which includes a 2-hour time limit, no restrictions to the on-field revelry (from wearing kilts to a player who uses stilts), and offbeat rules such as no walks, no bunting and outs being counted when a fan catches a ball in the stands.

The response prompted Cole to go all-in on a team that can play more games in Savannah — where the owner says his