Dylan Ed with fans before playing as a guest with the Savannah Bananas. (Photo Courtesy of Dylan Ed ’24)
By Caitlin Rubsamen, Sports Editor
From a young age, Dylan Ed ’24 knew he wanted to play baseball at the professional level. Ed is a Gettysburg native and Gettysburg College graduate of the class of 2024 who obtained his Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Business, Organization and Management and Economics.
A transfer student who came to Gettysburg in his junior year, Ed saw action in several games with the Bullets Baseball team both his junior and senior years as a catcher and as a pinch hitter.
The Centennial Conference is highly competitive, but Ed knew he had a slim chance of getting drafted to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team out of a Division III institution.
“The two options were to either play independent baseball or Banana Ball [league],” said Ed. “Banana ball is a super rare and unique opportunity because you’re able to play on some of the biggest stages and MLB stadiums in the country in front of almost 100,000 fans every weekend, and millions in the future.”
Banana Ball, as Ed noted, is a fast-paced version of baseball designed for entertainment purposes. There are several rule changes, trick plays, and entertainment features, such as dances and costumes, which are included throughout the course of the two-hour competition. Social media has also been a tool used by the teams and players of banana ball to grow the game over the past few years.
“It is highly encouraged to be active on social media. The main platforms used are TikTok and Instagram,” said Ed. “The reason for this is that banana ball is fans first, and social media allows the players to connect with the fans.”
As with most aspects of Banana Ball, the process to earn a contract looks different than what a traditional Major League Baseball draft and recruitment process would be. When they are looking to bring new people into the game, the Bananas send out a form to all interested parties. From there, they select 150 players from those who fill out the form and invite them to a tryout. Last year, Ed was one of the 150 who earned a tryout spot.
For Ed, the tryout was like no baseball tryout that he had ever had before.
“I had my tryout in Philadelphia last year. At the tryout, you were required to do memorized dances that are given beforehand, a defensive showcase with your trick plays, on-field batting practice, and a full nine-inning banana ball simulated game. Only a select few are chosen from the tryouts to play for a banana ball team.”
Ed was one of the few to make a team. Over the summer, he had the opportunity to play as a guest player for both the Firefighters and
Dylan Ed ’24 after participating in a game at Nationals Park this summer as a guest player for the Firefighters. (Photo Courtesy of Dylan Ed ’24)
the Savannah Bananas so that he could gather experience playing banana ball.
As Ed prepares for his first official season of Banana Ball, he reflects on his experience playing Division III baseball and what the transition is going to look like.
“The transition from playing DIII baseball at Gettysburg to Banana Ball was a huge jump. The Centennial Conference for baseball is pretty decent, but going from that to playing with former affiliated MLB players and Division I guys is a big difference,” explained Ed. “I saw limited action at Gettysburg due to the previous Coach, so I had to work my butt off to get back in shape, which was tough. I made it a point to train, catch, throw, hit, and lift every single day over the next year, up until my Banana Ball tryout. I ended up being in the best shape of my life. The whole experience has caused me to realize that everything happens for a reason.”
Ed’s hard work is paying off as he is now getting the opportunity to live out his childhood dream.
“My favorite part about this opportunity so far has been getting to play in some of the most beautiful MLB stadiums that I grew up going to as a kid, getting to meet some truly amazing people, and getting to connect and make an impact with so many fans on a more personal level,” stated Ed. “I am truly so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something so special. Banana Ball is only getting started, and it’s gonna continue to grow over the coming years.”
In 2025, Banana Ball will be played in 18 different Major League Baseball stadiums. While the MLB is not affiliated with banana ball in any capacity, this will be an opportunity for these teams to play in professional stadiums.
Ed will report to Savannah in January, where he will begin his first official contract for Banana Ball.
This article originally appeared on pages 18-19 of the October 2025 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
