STARKVILLE — Banana Ball is coming to meet The Dude.

The Savannah Bananas, a wildly popular baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters who mix wacky antics and fun into their games, will play at Mississippi State’s Dudy Noble Field on Aug. 22 and 23, 2025. The organization made the announcement during a schedule release show on its YouTube channel Thursday.

Banana Ball was created in 2018 and played its first official game in 2020. It features a fast-paced style of play, a different scoring system from traditional baseball, modified rules — including an out given if a fan catches a foul ball; and, if a batter walks, every player on the defense must touch the ball before the play is dead, while the batter can sprint around the bases — and a two-hour time limit for games.

The Party Animals, the Bananas’ frequent opponent, will headline the two games. The organization is fielding four teams in 2025 who will run two concurrent tours. Previously, the Bananas would play only the Party Animals on their tour. For 2025, the organization will add the Texas Tailgaters and The Firefighters to their lineup.

The games in Starkville are among 100 dates on the nationwide tour. The Bananas and their other teams will play in Major League Baseball and college stadiums, as well as their home park in Savannah, Georgia.

In addition to the two games at Dudy Noble Field, the Party Animals will play at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium on Aug. 8 and 9, and Arkansas’ Baum-Walker Stadium on Aug. 15 and 16.

The Bananas will also play in three football stadiums — Clemson’s Death Valley, Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, and Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

Tickets to all games may only be purchased through a ticket lottery. Tickets will not be sold by through the ticket offices at Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas, or the MLB teams hosting the games.

Tickets for the games at Dudy Noble Field will be made available in 2025, but fans must join the Ticket Lottery List by Nov. 1 to be eligible.

Go online to ThePartyAnimals.com/Tickets to register for the opportunity to be drawn in the lottery for a chance to purchase ticket. Random drawings will occur about two months before the event, and those selected will be contacted about the opportunity to purchase tickets.