Former Statesman Drake Fontenot finds a new way to play ball

Cleveland, MS (10/12/2026) — Contact: Nathan Duff FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phone: (662) 846-4678

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Former Statesman Drake Fontenot finds a new way to play ball

CLEVELAND, Miss. - For most of his life, baseball gave Drake Fontenot a schedule, a purpose and a place to belong.

Then his final season at Delta State ended.

Fontenot had just completed the best year of his college career. He had been named Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Year, set a Delta State record with 39 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings and emerged as one of five finalists for the Ferriss Trophy. But at 24 years old and newly graduated, he faced a reality familiar to generations of college athletes.

For the first time in approximately 20 years, baseball might no longer be part of his daily life.

That was when Banana Ball came calling.

Fontenot is now a right-handed pitcher for the Loco Beach Coconuts, one of two expansion teams introduced for the inaugural season of the Banana Ball Championship League. He was selected second overall in the league's first player draft after earning his opportunity through a developmental stint with the Visitors in 2025.

Delta State head baseball coach Rodney Batts said Fontenot arrived from junior college as a player the coaching staff knew could help, although his role was not immediately clear. Fontenot worked his way into the starting rotation during his first season and remained there for all three years, progressing from the Statesmen's No. 3 starter to the No. 2 role and eventually becoming the staff ace.

"He continued to develop every year," Batts said. "His senior year was one of the best years a pitcher has had in our program. He was our Friday night guy and really embraced that role of being the guy to set the tone for the weekend."

Batts said Fontenot's five GSC Pitcher of the Week honors, conference Pitcher of the Year award and 39 1/3-inning scoreless streak reflected the work he put into refining his craft. Batts recalled that the run that ended the streak scored after Fontenot had already been removed from the game.

The path began with a familiar name from Fontenot's college baseball circle.

Brandon Pennington, a former pitching coach at Pearl River Community College who had joined Banana Ball as a coach, knew Fontenot's name from his senior season at Delta State. Pennington also contacted former players who had played alongside Fontenot to learn more about the person behind the statistics.

Pennington reached out before Delta State's season was over, but Fontenot was not ready to consider what came next.

"We were still figuring some stuff out on whether we were going to be playing," Fontenot said. "I didn't want to be worrying about the future just yet because we still had the potential of postseason play."

After the Statesmen's season ended, an official Banana Ball recruiter contacted Fontenot and asked for a conversation. They spoke for nearly an hour outside Fontenot's home.

What Fontenot heard was different from the snippets of choreographed dances, trick plays and packed stadiums he had seen on social media.

"It was way better than just scrolling through Instagram, seeing them play in a big-league stadium and dance and wondering what it was," Fontenot said. "When you actually get the inside story about what is going on, how much fun it is and how competitive it still is, I said, 'OK, I want to try to be a part of this.'"

The organization behind Banana Ball calls itself Fans First Entertainment. Its stated mission is embedded in the name, but Fontenot describes the idea more simply. It gives players permission to rediscover the joy that first drew them to baseball.

"The goal is to bring fun back to baseball," he said. "In today's world, you're told you have to play the game a certain way or act like you've been there before. Here, we all get to be 12 again and enjoy the game we fell in love with."

Fontenot first joined the Visitors, a developmental roster used to evaluate prospective Banana Ball players. He compares it to a Triple-A club filled with players being considered for future roster spots. The experience allowed the organization to judge more than his fastball and command. Banana Ball players must also demonstrate that they can interact with spectators and become part of the show surrounding the game.

He passed the audition.

When the Banana Ball Championship League held its inaugural draft in November 2025, the Coconuts made Fontenot the second player selected. The choice reunited him with Mark Crocco, Fontenot's head coach with the Visitors who was later named head coach of the Coconuts.

Fontenot reported to Savannah for spring training in January. Although the atmosphere was unlike anything he had experienced at Delta State, he found that the game itself had not changed as much as its presentation might suggest.

"I treat the game almost exactly the same, outside of working a whole lot faster," Fontenot said. "Every game has a two-hour time limit, so you're working as fast as you can. At Delta State, it was always attack hitters, go right at guys and make them hit the ball. That's what you do here."

The entertainment takes place in the spaces between those pitches.

Fontenot might add a dance move between batters or briefly play to the crowd before returning to the mound. He describes it as cycling between entertainer and pitcher, embracing the spectacle before coming set and returning his attention to baseball.

Backflips, however, remain outside his repertoire.

"I'm too big to flip," he said.

Others in the league face no such limitation. Players compete on leaderboards for trick plays, sometimes making catches behind their backs, between their legs or while contorting their bodies in ways that would be difficult to imagine in conventional baseball.

Jordan Brewer, the Coconuts' first baseman and a former University of Michigan standout who played professionally in the Houston Astros organization, has become one of the league's leading trick-play performers. Fontenot described Brewer as "a wizard at first," capable of lifting his leg above his head while catching a throw between his legs.

Fontenot has contributed at least one highlight of his own, fielding a ball between his legs to begin a double play.

Beneath the dancing and trick plays, he said, the competition is genuine.

"No one wants to lose. Everyone wants to win," Fontenot said. "People still get mad when they get out. You're still yelling and screaming with excitement. You might have a smile on your face, but it is still extremely intense."

The league's talent supports that intensity. Its rosters include former Major League players and accomplished minor leaguers, many of whom spent years at the Double-A or Triple-A levels without receiving a lasting opportunity in the majors.

For Fontenot, that has meant competing against players he once watched on television, including Jackie Bradley Jr., a former Major League outfielder, Gold Glove winner and 2018 World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox.

"I remember being 15 years old and watching him play in the World Series," Fontenot said. "Now I get to pitch to him."

Fontenot's new career has taken him far beyond Savannah. The league's six teams travel each weekend, playing in minor league parks, Major League stadiums and venues not normally associated with baseball. His travels have included games at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, along with appearances in St. Louis, Minneapolis and other cities across the country.

Wherever the Coconuts play, Fontenot still encounters people who recognize the name on his college resume.

"I love going places and people knowing Delta State," he said. "Someone will say, 'You were a Statesman. I graduated there,' or 'My son played football there.' It is really cool to make those memories with people before and after the game."

Those conversations reflect what first attracted him to Banana Ball. Players meet spectators, pose for photographs, sign autographs and sometimes simply talk about the game. The interaction is not an obligation added to the experience. It is the center of it.

For those who have an opportunity to attend, Fontenot believes the experience justifies the wait.

"It is 100 percent worth the wait and the patience of getting there," he said.

Batts said Fontenot's continued success is a source of pride for the Delta State program.

"Drake worked hard during his time here to perfect his craft, and all of that ended up paying off for him," Batts said. "To see him now, continuing to do what he loves doing, couldn't make us prouder. Banana Ball is something different, but it's still baseball, and we hope he can play as long as he wants to."

At Delta State, Fontenot learned to challenge hitters, compete through pressure and trust the work that carried him to the mound every weekend. With the Coconuts, he has not abandoned any of it.

He has simply learned to do it a little faster, in front of a much louder crowd and, every now and then, with a dance between pitches.

Cutline 1: Former Delta State pitcher Drake Fontenot is now pitching for the Loco Beach Coconuts in the Banana Ball Championship League.

Cutline 2: Loco Beach Coconuts pitcher Drake Fontenot dances on the mound between pitches.

Cutline 3: Fontenot carries the Loco Beach Coconuts flag onto the field before a Banana Ball game.

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About Delta State University: Delta State University is a four-year public institution whose nearly 2,800 students come from most U.S. states and more than 45 countries. Acknowledging its beginning as a teacher's college, the University sustains excellence in teacher education while continuing to expand offerings in traditional as well as unique fields of study. Programs such as those available through the Delta Music Institute, the Commercial Aviation Department, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information highlight the University's commitment to meeting the evolving needs of the students it serves with world-leading, industry-acclaimed programs. Situated in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Delta State offers top-notch academic programs in business, arts, sciences, nursing, education, and more. DSU Athletics has won 15 national championships, 70 conference championships, and 37 regional titles.

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