How to think like a Banana Ball player

After Tyler Rigot, GC’25, finished his final athletic season at UR, he jumped to playing in front of tens of thousands. He pitches for the Firefighters in the Banana Ball league, which plays a fast-paced and antic-filled twist on baseball. Here are his tips on how to approach life like a Banana Ball player.

1. Ride the adrenaline, breathe, and think fast.
Banana ballers play in sold-out major league stadiums. When Rigot runs onto the field, the lights are on him. “You almost do black out in the big league parks,” Rigot said. “It’s thrilling, and the adrenaline rush is nuts.” When he’s moving quickly — sometimes delivering pitches every five seconds — he focuses on his breathing, inhaling through his nose and expanding his diaphragm.

In Banana Ball, the clock stops at two hours. No hitters stepping out of the batter’s box or bunting. Rigot is always thinking about his next step. “‘Let’s land this first-pitch strike,’ ‘Let’s get this breaking ball over the plate,’ — stuff like that.”

2. Practice what counts.
Practice during the week focuses on all of the usual baseball skills. But when the Firefighters arrive at stadiums for a weekend series, Thursday means rehearsal with a choreographer.

Banana Ball teams dance during breaks and at the end of games. The moves don’t come naturally to Rigot, but once he’s on the field, he’s done the training. “It’s just executing the routine again,” he said.

3. Put yourself out there. And have fun with it.
Rigot’s extroverted, goofy personality — in addition to his baseball talent — got him the Firefighters gig. When he’s on the field, he has a good time. His teammates are all remixes of each other, he said. One characteristic they share is their willingness to put themselves out there and have a good time doing it.

“Yes, our job is to execute, but why put more pressure on yourself?” he said. “People are expecting to have fun. So why wouldn’t you have fun and go a million miles an hour doing it?”

4. Get on the social media grind.
Filming TikToks and Instagram reels at practice is part of the job. Rigot didn’t spend much time on social media before his professional career, but since he started posting on June 6, he’s gained more than 18,000 followers across his platforms. He would love to play Banana Ball for as long as he can, but building his brand is a way of preparing for his future after his playing days end.

“If you have a six-figure following on multiple platforms, you’re going to open a lot more doors,” Rigot said. And the brand deals are a nice incentive.