From WJCL

https://www.facebook.com/547484042073874/videos/859383434217265/

Walking through the offices and merchandise store at Historic Grayson Stadium, Emily and Jesse Cole reflect on what the stadium looked like when they moved in in July 2015.

“No internet no phone lines, everything was taken out of the stadium. So we worked on a picnic table for the first month trying to get out there,” said Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas.

The lack of internet was the least of the duo’s problems. They were coming into Savannah after the high-profile departure of the Sand Gnats, and people weren’t jumping on board right away.

“And it was a struggle in the beginning and people didn’t know who we were and they hadn’t bought in yet and they didn’t believe in us yet,” Emily Cole said.

Jesse and Emily, owners of Fans First Entertainment, which manages the Savannah Bananas as well as the Gastonia Grizzlies, say the first few months saw little fan interest, and dwindling funds.

“In January I received a phone call from our Chief Operating Officer for both teams and he said Jesse, we’re completely out of money,” said Jesse.

It was then that the couple decided to sell their house in Charlotte, tap their retirement accounts, and fully commit to Savannah.

“In order to do that, we didn’t have a lot of financial means, so we bought a gross little fixer upper, “said Emily.

The couple laugh about their first few months sleeping on an air mattress and eating nothing but soup and noodles, but at the time, Jesse Cole said it was a little more stressful.

“We were nervous we didn’t know what to do we weren’t sleeping.”

Then came the name that changed the game.

The team held a contest to name the Savannah baseball team. Cole said he saw the name Bananas, and loved the idea making that the team name.

“I knew there’d be backlash either way but we saw it as a fun name, a lot of marketing opportunities, so we said why not take a chance.”

The gamble paid off, when the team name was announced, it took off, becoming a viral sensation.

“We were trending on Twitter, number one over Donald Trump, we were on ESPN, Good Morning America, the Today show,” said Jesse.

“It was just surreal,” said Emily.

The success took even the Coles by surprise. They sold out of their 1,000 shirts within six hours, scrambling to order more, and losing money on each overseas shipment.

But with the merchandise boom, came a renewed interest in the team.

“The next morning we show up to the ballpark and there’s a line to buy tickets and to buy merchandise, we started selling out games before the season even started,” said Jesse.

After that it was a whirlwind season of sellouts, winning games, increased appreciation for the team, all culminating in a Coastal Plain League (CPL) championship, and an award for CPL organization of the year.

The awards and honors were a highlight for the Cole’s, but they say the best part of their first year, was interacting with fans, and ushering in a new era of baseball in Savannah.

“I can’t wait to see next year and the years to come, there’s going to be some great things that happen in this ballpark and some memories that will never be forgotten.”