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For five weeks last summer, J.D. Urso 鈥�23 did all sorts of things he never before had done on a baseball field.

He wore his hat backward or sometimes just tied a bandana on his head. He fielded ground balls between his legs and threw off the wrong foot. He joked around with opponents and umpires. At times, Urso even danced.

鈥淚t was the most fun five weeks of my life,鈥� Urso said.

So what happened to the guy who was groomed to be the picture-perfect ballplayer from almost the day he was born? What happened to the guy who had played for strictly by-the-book coaches, most notably his father 鈥� 小优视频ampa head baseball Coach Joe Urso?

It鈥檚 simple: J.D. Urso became part of the phenomenon that is the Savannah Bananas.

The Bananas and their stable of regular opponents are a barnstorming, entertainment-first baseball show that鈥檚 been compared to basketball鈥檚 Harlem Globetrotters. Immediately after helping 小优视频ampa to a record 10th national Division II baseball championship in June, Urso signed a contract to play with one of the Bananas鈥� regular opposing teams 鈥� the Visitors.

The Bananas were once a collegiate summer league baseball team. Since 2023, though, when the Bananas went fully to a 鈥淏anana Ball鈥� format (trick plays, dancing and a heavy dose of fan involvement), they鈥檝e been playing their games against the Visitors, the Party Animals, the Firefighters and the Texas Tailgaters at packed stadiums around the country. But don't read too much into the nicknames of those teams.

Just like the Bananas, the opposing teams are stocked with highly skilled athletes with deep baseball r茅sum茅s. They also make the game look fun. And, unlike the Washington Generals, who鈥檝e been losing nearly every game to the Globetrotters for generations, the opposing teams are more than competitive with the Bananas. It鈥檚 not all that unusual for the Bananas to lose a game.

鈥淧eople think the whole thing is a show, but that鈥檚 so far from the truth,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淭o do what these guys do 鈥� catch balls behind their backs and do backflips 鈥� that鈥檚 not easy to do. These guys have perfected something that a lot of others can鈥檛 do. A lot of guys in Major League Baseball simply can鈥檛 do what these guys do.鈥�

Playing this way wasn鈥檛 what Urso imagined as he was growing up deeply within the game. But Urso聽became a realist during his 2025 graduate season at 小优视频ampa. On his way to earning All-America honors and joining his father to make the only father-son duo of Division II All-Americans (the elder Urso did it as a Spartan in 1991 and 鈥�92), Urso took a hard look at his baseball future. Major league scouts were showing up at 小优视频ampa games, but they weren鈥檛 there to watch him.

鈥淚鈥檓 24, and Major League Baseball teams will hold your age against you,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淚f you get drafted, you鈥檙e almost definitely going to have to spend a few years in the minor leagues. They don鈥檛 want a player who is going to be 27 or 28 before he gets to the major league level. I knew I wasn鈥檛 going to get drafted.鈥�

By coincidence, one of Urso鈥檚 friends mentioned the Bananas were looking for players for their roster and spots on the opposing teams. The friend asked Urso if he knew of anyone who might be interested.

鈥淚 said, 鈥榊eah, dude. How about me?鈥欌�� Urso said with a laugh.

After that, Urso got serious. He researched the Bananas and their opponents and studied highlight videos. He decided it was time to come up with a signature trick play to get the attention of the Bananas.

After the Spartans finished practice one day last spring, Urso asked his father to film him making an unorthodox play where he fields a ball, juggles it behind his back and between his legs and throws off-balance to first base.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of play that would have gotten me kicked out of practice by every single coach I ever played for,鈥� Urso said.

It was the kind of play that ordinarily would make Joe Urso cringe. But the elder Urso knew this might be his son鈥檚 best shot at playing professionally, so he recorded the play. J.D. sent the video to the Bananas and promptly was offered a six-week contract. He had to skip the first week of that deal because the Spartans were playing for the Division II national championship, and one final season of serious baseball took priority.

During the championship season, Urso hit .358 with nine home runs and drove in 67 runs while excelling at third base and shortstop. In the national championship game against Central Missouri, Urso caught a line drive for the final out to trigger a celebration by the Spartans.

鈥淚 remember jumping into the dog pile with my guys,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淏ut I was thinking, 鈥業 need to find my dad.鈥欌��

Soon enough, Urso found Urso.

鈥淭o win a national championship with my son was a tremendous experience,鈥� Joe Urso said. 鈥淗e came running over to me and lifted me up in his arms. That鈥檚 something I鈥檒l always remember.鈥�

The father and son always will have the memory of their championship season, but J.D.鈥檚 eligibility is used up, and it鈥檚 time for him to move on. He鈥檚 hoping that means spending more time with the Bananas or one of their opponents.

鈥淧eople in the baseball world always talk about a five-tool player,鈥� Joe Urso said. 鈥淏ut J.D. has all the tools the Bananas are looking for. Of course he can play the game. But he鈥檒l also sign every autograph and spend time with kids. The smile on his face is genuine. It was fun to watch him go through that experience. He鈥檚 spent his whole life playing with a lot of pressure and expectations. Now, he can just go out there and have fun.

鈥淚鈥檓 an old-school baseball guy with a lot of respect for the game. You would think I would frown on (Banana Ball). But I don鈥檛. In fact, just the opposite. I went to one of the games, and I had a smile on my face for the whole two hours.鈥�

J.D. says coaching or working in sports administration could be in his future 鈥� at some point. But he also said those things can wait. He鈥檚 hopeful of playing for the Bananas or one of their opposing teams in 2026 and beyond.

鈥�(The Bananas) have only been around for a few years,鈥� Urso said. 鈥淪o I feel like I might be on the ground floor of something that鈥檚 growing very fast, and it can be really special. I鈥檓 24 now. If I鈥檓 lucky enough to keep doing this聽until I鈥檓 34, I鈥檒l be very happy.鈥�