PARTY
Banana Ball, the craziest party in baseball, came back to Alex Box.
Read on page 2
MASS AP-PEEL
Banana Ball made its return to Baton Rouge this weekend
BY AINSLEY FLOOD Sports Editor
What do you get when the greatest party in sports is mixed with one of the most die-hard fan bases in college baseball?
It means Banana Ball has arrived in Baton Rouge.
On Friday night, Alex Box Stadium was once again taken over by the traveling phenomenon known as Banana Ball as the league is entering the back end of its season.
Baseball filled with non-stop dancing, outlandish games and “trick plays” guarantee there’s always something to see when the gameplay stops.
While the LSU crowd showed out, fans from all directions made their way to Baton Rouge for the game.
Nine-year-old Gary Faye from New Orleans came in support of the Party Animals, his second favorite team behind the Savannah Bananas. While he enjoys regular baseball too, Banana Ball is unlike anything else.
“It’s more fun to watch because I couldn’t do a back flip and catch a fly ball,” Faye answered.
That’s one of the many aspects that separates it from the average ball game. Along with upping the antics, Banana Ball is designed to combat the often slow pace of the sport.
There’s a two-hour time limit on each game. In the event of a draw, a showdown tiebreaker takes place instead of extra innings. There’s no stepping out of the batter’s box, which will be called a strike to avoid any extra time.
Fans can also get involved by catching a foul ball to make an out or even challenging a play.
“I love the fast pace and the
fact that they include the fans in everything,” Tammy Carman, a fan from Gonzales, explained. “They are just really great, humble guys.”
The league has only grown since its inaugural season in 2023, with a fourth team added to the mix this year, the Texas Tailgaters. Teams put on their show all over the country, selling out major league and football stadiums.
Banana Ball came to the Box for the first time during LSU’s 2024 season, and the Savannah
Bananas took Baton Rouge by storm. As a part of the league’s College Tour, Alex Box is one of the smaller venues on the calendar, but the fans make up for it in spirit.
“The fan base here, they’re so into their culture, so bought in, that you can’t help but try to be a part of it,” Sal Jacobo, a utility player for the Party Animals, said after the game. “It definitely feels more intimate.”
Some of the night’s highlights included a choreographed dance to “Callin’ Ba-
ton Rouge” all the way through the stands to the field and lots of line dancing.
“We learned the Louisiana jig right before this, and that was a lot of fun,” Jacobo said. “The fans took it all in well, and it was cool. It’s just different.”
Additionally, two LSU baseball alumni and national champions, Cade Beloso and Ryan Theriot, were welcomed back onto the field and each took a turn at bat.
One Texas Tailgater, Zach Watson, is a former LSU player from Ruston, Louisiana, who last played for the team in 2019.
“We’re going to have a little bigger crowd,” Watson said about Saturday’s game. “I’ve got about 100 people, family and friends, coming tomorrow.”
The hometown hero returned to the plate on Friday night in Sunday Golds alongside a standing ovation from Tiger fans.
“Words can’t describe it, coming back to your home city for baseball,” Watson said. “Those three years I was here were phenomenal. It was outstanding.”
The Tailgaters won the night 2-0 after capturing some early runs and fighting back the Animals in the later innings.
On Saturday night, they did it all again, and the Tailgaters won 3-2 after it went to the tiebreaker.
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CLARIFICATIONS
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The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
A Party Animal points at the camera with her bat Aug. 9 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
Former LSU baseball outfielder and Texas Tailgaters player Zach Watson begins to run to first base Aug. 9 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
HE MEANS BUSINESS
Meet the new College of Business dean
BY LIV TEES
Staff Writer
Russell Crook officially took over as the new dean of LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business on July 28, taking over from Jared Llorens.
He told the Reveille he’s thrilled to embark on his new journey as dean and is excited to make his mark on the school.
“When this opportunity presented itself, I raised my hand and said I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Crook said.
He said he’s passionate about the chance to study abroad, support first generation college students, offer opportunities to get a college degree to young people everywhere in Louisiana and teach students how to work with AI rather than ignore it.
“One of the things I’d love to see us think more about is an entrepreneurial mindset where our students come in and they leave to think like entrepreneurs because they will run to the problems of the world and solve them,” Crook said.
Crook, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, grew up a Tigers fan. His father played golf at LSU in the 1960s where he competed in SEC championships. He also lived in the same dorm as Pete Maravich during his prime.
The spirit of the purple and gold never left Crook, even though he attended Florida State University for undergrad. He graduated with a bachelor’s in
economics in 1995. He went on to pursue his master’s in business administration at American University and finally returned to FSU for his Ph.D. in business administration in 2005.
As he begins his LSU journey, Crook is in a self-imposed “listen and learn” phase where he is talking to everyone in the school trying to understand his new surroundings.
“I’m trying to spend an hour with every person around the college because I don’t know what I don’t know,” Crook said.
Crook spent over 18 years at the University of Tennessee, where he worked his way up from assistant professor of management to department head of the Haslam College of Business. He served in this position for over eight years before moving to Baton Rouge.
The move to Baton Rouge has been nonstop excitement for Crook and his family. He said that even though he was told about the hospitality before the move, it has been such a welcome shock.
“It’s the most welcoming place,” Crook said. “I didn’t think people could get any nicer than they are in Tennessee.”
While pursuing his master’s, Crook was diagnosed with a type of cancer known as B-cell lymphoma. It was through battling the disease that he gained clarity on what he wanted to pursue — academia and research.
Crook has contributed to nearly 50 journal publications
in his extensive career. His research focuses on what drives successful organizations and what resources differentiate high-performing and low-performing organizations.
“Organizations need to be entrepreneurial,” said Crook. “That is why our work in the college around AI and emerging technologies along with our other entrepreneurial initiatives matter so much.”
While in the interview process for the job, Crook was asked what he thinks the next five years of the business school looks like. Crook responded by saying “Wouldn’t it be great if we make the next five years the greatest ever?”
Crook hopes for this to manifest in expanded online education, expanded corporate relationships globally and a solid understanding of how to use AI in a productive manner.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Crook enjoys cooking for his family, specifically shrimp scampi and steak. He is also an avid golfer and a member of the Highland Community Park workout group F3 which stands for fitness, fellowship, and faith.
As a dean dedicated to interacting with the students and his colleagues, he has a goal of starting a “workout with the dean.”
“I’m all in,” Crook said. “If there is anything I can do to help students across campus, then that’s what I want to do.”
A Texaspitches.Tailgater
Alex Box Stadium was host once again to a weekend of Banana Ball shenanigans, on Aug. 8 and 9. Here are some highlights from the games.
The Tailgaters dance during the announcement of their starting lineup.
Texas Tailgaters sing along to music.
Zach Watson runs to first base.
Zach Watson catches a ball bare-handed.
Photos by Payton Prichard Design by Jayden Slaughter
SPORTS
How football is making its run game more explosive in 2025
consistent running game, ranking No. 107 nationally and finishing last in the SEC for yards per game.
Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan took the podium on Friday after an eventful week with his offense.
He wanted to keep the conversation on what’s happening on the field, and when he was asked about the situation of the run game, he said in one sentence, “You’ve got to run the football in the SEC.”
A simple and obvious answer, but the correct one.
LSU football has been dominant in the air in recent years with quarterbacks such as Garrett Nussmeier, who finished No. 5 in passing yards a season ago, and the former Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.
With an influx of new weapons at wide receiver and tight end every year, a team once known for pounding the rock has transformed into an explosive and high-octane passing offense that fans come to expect.
With a passing attack as dynamic as LSU’s, the same can’t be said for the run game. Last season, the Tigers struggled to establish a
BY TRE ALLEN Staff Writer ALUMNI
The Tigers finished No. 6 in the nation in passing attempts per game with 41 attempts but a disappointing No. 126 in rushing attempts per game. When an offense becomes one-dimensional, defenses have an easier time game planning for it.
A balanced game plan not only forces the defense to worry about the ground game and the pass, but also takes pressure off the quarterback, reducing how often he’s forced to throw and limiting the amount of hits he takes.
Sloan understands that he needs to create different ways to amplify the run game, and with his staff, they’ve been constantly working on improving it.
“Some schematic things, where we’re going to be able to put some guys in positions to make sure we can create some more explosives in the run game,” Sloan said.
Explosiveness is what he’s been preaching, and with a talented backfield, it’s not out of the ordinary.
Sophomore running back Caden Durham brought some of the
explosiveness he’s been looking for last year for the Tigers.
As a true freshman, Durham put his name on the map in his second game of the season, rushing for 98 yards on 11 carries and getting in the end zone twice. He continued to be a vital piece for LSU as he finished his first year with 753 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while earning a spot on the 2024 SEC AllFreshman Team.
Sloan praised Durham for his performance last season but recognized that he was just a freshman and has grown significantly heading into his sophomore campaign.
“He’s an electric player and a really good football player” Sloan said. “He’s a lot better football player today than he was at this time last year.”
The Tigers have brought in another talented four-star freshman in Harlem Barry from Metairie, Louisiana, and still have junior running back Kaleb Jackson.
The pieces are there in the backfield, but the team also has to get the job done up front. The offensive line has been one of the most talked-about position groups heading into the 2025 season and
has a lot of question marks. LSU lost four starters on the offensive line from a season ago and has battles at every position.
The coaching staff is continuing to evaluate the offensive line and understands that there’s still work to be done, but they’re pleased with their progression.
“I think, when you watch, they have been excellent, in terms of their growth,” Sloan said. “They’ve got to keep coming, they’ve got to get better every day, but I’ve been really pleased with what they’ve done.”
This Banana Ball star had a homecoming to Baton Rouge
BY AINSLEY FLOOD Sports Editor
Zach Watson never thought he’d be back playing ball in Baton Rouge.
He spent three years with the Tigers before being drafted, and over the next five years, Watson bounced from league to league before finding Banana Ball – America’s craziest pastime.
As a part of his team’s 2025 national tour, a new stop was added to their calendar: LSU’s Alex Box Stadium.
Growing up in Ruston, Watson’s dreams were just like any other Louisiana kid’s. LSU was the place to be.
During his official visit to the school, he received an offer to play for the Tigers. He and his family barely drove down the road before Watson told his mother he wanted to commit. They quickly turned around, and he went back in and accepted the offer.
In his collegiate career, Watson moved from shortstop to the outfield and was one of the team’s top batters, boasting a average of .319, 18 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .492 slugging percentage over 151 games.
Some of Watson’s most impressive feats came from his postseason performances.
“Probably the biggest moment of my college career was in regional play here in my freshman year, hitting two home runs in back-toback days,” Watson said. “I think I was the last person to do it, and
before that, it was a long time ago.”
In 2017, he and the Tigers made it to the Championship Series in Omaha, Nebraska, against Florida. Watson led the team in batting throughout the tournament with a .333 average, one double, five home runs, 10 RBIs and 12 runs, and was named to the College World Series All-Tournament team.
After LSU’s super regional exit in 2019, he was selected in the third round of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles and said goodbye to Baton Rouge.
After the pandemic, Watson achieved the highlight of his pro career while playing in AA: a rare 20-20 season – 20 home runs and
20 stolen bases.
Despite proving himself to be a power hitter in the league, he wasn’t getting the game time. Watson requested a trade or release and was released in 2023.
That same year, the official Banana Ball league was formed.
A hybrid of baseball and entertainment, this version of the game puts the fans first. The rules are altered to create a faster-paced baseball experience, while the players put on a show, participating in choreographed dances, performing trick, and more. Viral clips reached new audiences, and Banana Ball’s popularity skyrocketed.
As the league was expanding,
its roster had to as well. Coaches began reaching out to minor league teams looking for players who fit the bill.
Now playing in independent ball, Watson received a call from one of his former Bowie Baysox coaches asking him to try out.
“I wasn’t all for it,” Watson said. “I don’t dance. I’m not that outgoing. I’m not that person.”
His wife convinced him to go, so Watson taught himself how to do a backflip in a day and then headed to tryouts.
A few months later, he was told he made the Firefighters, the league’s brand new third team.
On his 14-hour drive over to get to the team, Watson called his wife, ready to back out and go home.
She told him to give it a shot, so he did, and after one week, he never looked back.
“I called her and said, ‘I’m having the time of my life,’” Watson said. “‘The boys are awesome. We’re having a blast, it’s so much fun. I feel like a kid again.’ Ever since that first week, I’ve fallen in love with Banana Ball and everything that it stands for.”
Now on the Texas Tailgaters team, catching a fly ball while doing a backflip has become one of his signature “trick plays.” Exactly as it sounds, they are counted on the scoreboard when players complete a unique trick with the ball during a play.
“We’re still playing the game of baseball but adding some flair to it,” Watson said. “Trick plays make it a little more difficult in that as -
pect of defense, but overall, you’re still playing baseball.”
While still playing the game he loves, Watson can explore his newfound love for entertaining. Before Banana Ball, he rarely talked with anyone after a game, unlike today.
“One of the best things is talking to fans after the game,” Watson said. “No matter how you do on the day, you go out there, and the little kids are so happy to see you and get your autograph, and it really turns your world around.”
When Watson arrived at LSU this weekend, he felt the love.
Back like he never left, the former Tiger played baseball in his college jersey for two sold-out home crowds at Alex Box. Fans were ecstatic for his return, with many wearing their own Watson jerseys.
One of the highlights of his return was being reunited with a fan who caught one of his past home run balls.
His best moment at bat came during Saturday night’s tiebreaker showdown that decided the game.
Watson hit one last ball, driving it past the sole outfielder. The crowd was fired up as he flew around the bases and sprinted home. He gave the Tailagaters the one-run lead that would ultimately win them the game – a perfect sendoff for the home hero.
Although it’s goodbye for now, Watson promises to keep having fun and playing the game he loves, because if Baton Rouge stays on Banana Ball’s schedule, this might not be his last
homecoming.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
Former LSU baseball outfielder and Texas Tailgaters player Zach Watson runs to first base Aug. 9 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
ERIN BARKER / The Reveille
LSU football freshman running back Caden Durham (29) fends off an Alabama defender on Nov. 9 during LSU’s 42-13 loss to Alabama at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
OPINION
Try this coping mechanism: pretending your life is a TV show
AVA’S POV
AVA FRANCIS Columnist
There will never be a day when the phrase “summer is over” sounds good to me.
When I was younger, it’d send me into a spiral. I had to find a silver lining somewhere, so I was thankful that back to school shopping was involved. I avoided thinking about math equations, hours of homework, friend cliques and instead focused on new school supplies: the smell of sharpened pencils, unused colorful pens and — my favorite part — curating my new wardrobe for the year.
I admit as I get older, I feel more excited and positive about going back to school. However, I still wish for an endless summer vacation.
If you’re not thrilled about summer coming to an end, don’t worry. There’s something to look forward to come fall. Since the start of my college career, I look at each semester as a new season of a TV show.
Some may find this ridiculous,
but we all have our own coping mechanisms. Mine just happens to be pretending I’m on the set of a hit HBO series while walking on campus. Every semester brings new characters, a new wardrobe, new places to explore, new extracurriculars, etc.
I tell myself, “This year will be great” as I have yet another $8 coffee or matcha in hand that I’ve purchased for the third time in a week (another coping mechanism).
“Remember, your life’s a hit show,” my brain reminds me as I hold back tears because I’m sitting in a classroom full of people who don’t at all resemble Damson Idris or Conrad Fisher.
Whether it’s buying overpriced lattes, reading books in public instead of scrolling on my phone as I wait for class or wearing wired headphones instead of AirPods, it’s the little things that get me through. After all, I’m a huge proponent of romanticizing life.
Over the last few years on campus, I’ve adopted a few taglines. One is “life is like a movie.”
For example, during my fresh-
men year at LSU, I was having lunch with my roommate the weekend before class started, and, as you know, when it rains, it pours in the swamps.
When we crossed the street in the torrential downpour, my shoe somehow escaped my foot. I stood there in utter disbelief, balancing on one leg to avoid my bare foot needing a tetanus shot. My eyes followed my old navy flip flop as it drifted away into a sewage drain. Shortly after, I bunny hopped over to the Barnes and Noble close by and waited for my cousin to come to my rescue with a pair of shoes.
Needless to say, I never wore flip flops on campus again.
Yes, my life often feels like a coming of age series, and that episode in particular is season one, episode three: “Lost Hopes, Dreams and Shoes.”
There’s so much more where that came from. I’ve had an abundance of surprising and sometimes cringe moments in college. I didn’t lose a flip flop in every story, but you get the point.
I’ve almost lost my umbrella
in battles with the wind multiple times, had awkward bar conversations, overheard my first freshman year roommate talk about me on the phone with her boyfriend in an unfavorable way and I can’t forget that one time I was talking about my campus crush when the elevator door opened and, to my surprise, there he was. Also, I learned he had a girlfriend on that very same elevator ride. Good times. The list goes on and on.
Despite all of these rather interesting events, I’m sure I’ll cherish these moments when my days as a Tiger are behind me.
As for now, it’s back to my regularly scheduled programming. Season seven of this journey is about to begin. Six semesters completed so far. Wow, time really does fly when life’s playing out like a Mindy Kaling coming of age series.
When I’m asked how it feels to be a senior, I’m hit with the thought “Where’d all the time go?” It feels like just yesterday I was unloading my life into my freshman year dorm. Thank you South Hall for being my first home at LSU. And sooner than
later I found my second, the Reveille newsroom, where I met some of my favorite people, had some of my favorite conversations and wrote some of my favorite articles.
For me, senior year is all about living in the moment and taking in each and every day. I’ll keep my complaints and frustrations to a minimum. Don’t get me wrong — life happens, but through it all, there’s always something to be grateful for. I’m so blessed that I’ve had an amazing college experience filled with movie-worthy scenarios so far. Seven seasons of love, wins, losses, friends, tears, laughs and everything in between. All the makings of a hit show.
On this season of your personal TV show, I hope you take chances, make memories and enjoy everything life at LSU has to offer.
Before you know it, those days of walking under the gorgeous live oak trees as a student will be over.
The show is about to begin.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans residing in Texas.
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The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to editor@lsu.edu or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.
“Why not just live in the moment, especially if it has a good beat?”
Goldie Hawn American actress, producer and singer 1945 — present
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