CLEVELAND, Miss. – Former Delta State baseball pitcher Drake Fontenot will continue his baseball career playing Banana Ball.

The Bossier City, La., native will be playing for the Visitors, the up-and-coming Bananas for the two new teams being established for next year.

"I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue playing baseball while having fun enjoying the game I fell in love with as a kid, along with the mission of Fans First Entertainment, my new teammates, and coaches sharing that love with everyone around the world," said Fontenot.

Fontenot pitched for the Statesmen for three years from 2023-25 and posted a 4.52 career ERA including a career-best 2.50 ERA last season. He holds a 23-10 career record for the Green-and-White with 218 strikeouts in 244.2 innings pitched.

After a remarkable senior season, Fontenot was named the Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-GSC, D2CCA First Team, NCBWA All-South Region, and a finalist for the Ferriss Trophy, awarded to the best collegiate baseball player in Mississippi.

Fontenot will make his Banana Ball debut on Thursday, June 26 as the starter in the series opener of a three-game series against the Party Animals. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Ky. The game can be streamed on YouTube (@thepartyanimals.bananaball).

The Bananas were founded in 2016 and play at the Historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah. They were a collegiate summer league team until 2022. In 2018, they fostered their "Banana Ball" format and transitioned into exhibition games, which is the renowned version you see today. The Bananas generally have sellout crowds wherever they go.

For more information on the Savannah Bananas, visit https://thesavannahbananas.com/.