Who are the Party Animals?
The Party Animals played their first game in July 2020, when the Savannah Bananas needed a second squad to play Banana Ball against at Grayson Stadium during the pandemic summer. For the first couple of seasons they were essentially the house opponent — the team fans booed when it walked through the gates — and pitcher Garett Delano has said the team leaned into that "underdog mindset" from the start.
That changed as Banana Ball grew. By 2024 the Party Animals had their own slate of games on the World Tour, their own roster and their own fanbase, and in 2026 they are one of six franchises in the Banana Ball Championship League with an independent schedule of roughly 50 regular-season games. They remain the Bananas' biggest rival, and Bananas–Party Animals is still the matchup that sells out football stadiums.
Party Animals style of play
If the Bananas are the wholesome show, the Party Animals are the after-party. They wear black or hot pink, the routines are louder and more theatrical, and the team has happily embraced a flamboyant identity — Wikipedia notes they have been called "the gayest team in baseball" for performances that borrow from drag and queer culture. Underneath the swagger is a roster that has become the most athletic in the league, which is how they beat the Texas Tailgaters and then the Firefighters to win the 2025 title.
Head coach Mike Vavasis runs the club. The 2026 pitching staff, per the official roster, includes Bret Helton, Brady Kais, Dylan Porter, Dalton Ponce, Riyan Rodriguez, Peter Holden, Sean Fluke, Nate Tellier, Jake Lialios, Drew Gillespie and Garett Delano.
Notable Party Animals players
- Jake Skole — the reigning Banana Ball MVP, a 2010 first-round pick of the Texas Rangers who won the 2025 Triple Crown (.372 average, 17 home runs, 77 RBI) and is back for a fourth season with the Party Animals.
- Garett Delano — the starting pitcher who threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts in the 2025 championship final.
- Bret Helton, Brady Kais and Dylan Porter — core arms on the 2026 staff.
Stats for every current player are in the roster table above and on the Party Animals roster page.
Party Animals 2026 season
The Party Animals came into 2026 as champions. In October 2025 they beat the Firefighters 4–0 at Grayson Stadium in the first Banana Ball Tour Championship final, after eliminating the Texas Tailgaters in the earlier round. That trophy does not carry over — the 2026 BBCL season starts everyone at 0-0 and the Tailgaters' Banana Ball Open win in April gave Texas the only automatic playoff berth.
Through mid-August the Party Animals sat at 23-26 with a -3 point differential, tied with the Firefighters and in a dogfight for the fourth and final playoff spot. Highlights of the 2026 schedule include a May 15–16 series against the Indianapolis Clowns at Victory Field in Indianapolis, a June visit to the Jersey Shore alongside the Loco Beach Coconuts, and a return trip to Milwaukee. The playoff bracket before the Banana Bowl has not been announced by the league; the Bowl itself is October 10, 2026 at Nationals Park on Disney+.
All Party Animals games stream free on the Party Animals YouTube channel. See where to watch the Party Animals for each game's platform, and track their playoff math on the standings page.