How Liam Spence went from Tennessee baseball to Savannah Bananas universe

Yahoo

14-07-2025

Liam Spence strolled through the bullpen gate at Nationals Park.
He stared into the camera, stepped into the spotlight and started to sing along to 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' by Credence Clearwater Revival. The former Tennessee baseball shortstop air-drummed then cut loose in front of 42,000 people. He sprinted down the right-field line through sprinklers and performed for the 335 feet to home plate.
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Spence caught his helmet and his bat, tossed to him by a teammate as the announcer introduced him in Washington, D.C., on June 27. The music kept booming as Spence stepped into the batter's box to face a pitcher standing on stilts.
Spence is living life in the rapidly growing sensation that is the Savannah Bananas universe, traveling the nation and playing in sold-out major league ballparks. He plays for the Firefighters, throwing boomerangs and hurling himself into the jovial culture with trick plays and hijinks aplenty.
'I had no idea what I was getting myself into,' Spence said. 'I just knew I was going to have a summer like I had never had before.'
Liam Spence put on cricket equipment to bat while playing for the Firefighters against the Texas Tailgaters in Richmond, Virginia, in June 2025.
What led Liam Spence to joining Firefighters in Savannah Bananas world
Spence made his Firefighters debut on May 23 at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.
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'I legitimately played both games with goosebumps on me because it was so unreal for all two hours,' Spence said. 'The energy has been like that ever since.'
Spence was playing independent league baseball in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a year ago. He was cut by the Chicago Cubs in March 2024, ending his tenure in pro baseball.
He got a call from Tyler Gillum, the coach of the Bananas and a former junior college coach who recruited Spence as a prep infielder. Spence chose Central Arizona College over Gillum's South Mountain Community College, but Gillum was offering Spence an opportunity again: He wanted him to be part of the Bananas' world.
Spence finally gave Gillum an affirmative after the season of independent ball.
'I'd love to be part of this,' said Spence, who was an All-SEC player on Tennessee's College World Series team in 2021, his lone full season at UT. He was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
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The Geelong, Australia, native submitted an audition video for the Bananas since he was in Australia during tryouts. He sprinkled in trick plays like kicking the ball for an out, an homage to Australian rules football.
Spence got the job with the Firefighters, one of the teams that commonly plays against the Bananas. He didn't know what to expect when he signed on, but the draw of playing in packed venues like Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium pulled him in.
"It just was one of those things where it was like, 'What is the reason holding me back?' " Spence said. "It is for anybody and everybody that just wants to play the game for fun like a kid again and enjoy it. I am super glad I made the decision to do this.'
How Liam Spence has embraced 'Banana Ball'
Spence grabbed a cricket bat and full cricket equipment for an at-bat in June.
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He singled to center field with the flat bat against the Texas Tailgaters, shedding the leg guards and face mask when he got to first base.
'You are still playing baseball but there are a lot of extracurriculars,' Spence said.
SPENCE: Tennessee baseball's Liam Spence is the toughest out in the SEC. Here's how he does it.
'Banana Ball' is a different game than baseball. It mirrors many of the core principles, but has its own rules such as a fan catching a foul ball is an out and there are no walks. The game lasts two hours instead of being unbound by time and teams score by winning innings not by scoring runs.
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Trick plays are encouraged. Spence stressed that is harder than it seems. Choosing when and how to pull off a clever play requires savvy and touch with a runner racing for first base.
He pulled off a dandy at Fenway Park on July 5, kicking his glove with his left foot to propel the ball to second base to start a 4-6-3 double play.
Liam Spence stands by his Firefighters teammates as they play at LMCU Ballpark in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in June 2025
'When the game starts, it is a little harder because you have four seconds to get the guy out,' Spence said.
The game around the game matters even more — it is all about the fans and the fun. Players go to the ballpark in uniform hours before first pitch to spend time with fans and sign autographs. Pitchers are encouraged to go into the stands to spend time with fans after they are done pitching. Music plays all game. There are on-field announcers and in-game happenings catered to fan interaction.
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It is an event as much as it is a game, which is how Spence says 'Banana Ball' differs most from professional baseball and where the deepest joy is found.
'You wake up and there is not a thing that you are not looking forward to,' Spence said. 'Just to see the joy on people's faces brings you way more happiness than you can imagine."
Boomerangs, entrances and the best summer job for Liam Spence
Spence had two days to prepare for his performance at Nationals Park.
Liam Spence attempts a trick play while playing for the Firefighters in the Savannah Bananas universe. Spence played at Tennessee from 2020-21.
He knew the song was in the movie 'The Longest Yard' and got to work memorizing the parts he needed to know. He rehearsed three times but never with the sprinklers or the camera in his face. He had a knot in his stomach until it was show time in the fifth inning.
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'I blacked out,' Spence said. 'It was just one of those moments that is a blur because it such an adrenaline rush."
Spence didn't know if the Bananas' world was for him. He took a chance and found it is as he stretched outside of his comfort zone to do things like the solo walk-up entrance. His former Tennessee teammates have been fired up for him.
He has a boomerang he has kept with him since he was a kid. He decided to throw it and catch it in every big league stadium he plays in. That list includes four MLB ballparks so far and will tally six more before the year is over, including Baltimore's Camden Yards in August and San Diego's Petco Park in September.
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The competitive side of the game remains for Spence. He — and the Firefighters — want to win. But he embraces putting on a show for the fans, balancing the competitiveness with the fun.
'A lot of people love it and we love it,' Spence said. 'It just a good time.'
He will go back to Australia in November to play in the Australian Baseball League with the Adelaide Giants. He will scratch the competitive itch in the ABL, while the one-summer gig in "Banana Ball" could well become a repeat job.
Spence knows full-well what he has gotten himself into now.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [e-mail] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Liam Spence: Tennessee baseball alum plays in Savannah Bananas world