In the center of a Universal sprinkler park, a crowd of one hundred people gathered around five-year-old Blake Benson, as he danced to the beat of the music around him. Little did the bystanders know that he would eventually grow up to become a professional baseball player who still draws in crowds with his dancing. Har-Ber alum, Blake Benson, just signed his contract to play with The Party Animals, in the Banana Ball Championship League Benson attended Har-Ber in 2015 and graduated in 2018. He has been playing baseball and dancing his entire life, which has helped him prepare for this opportunity. These skills were necessary requirements in order for Benson to land his tryout with The Party Animals.
“My favorite part so far has been the realization of living my dream,” Benson said.” I show up to the field every day and leave every night, and I love every moment of it!”
The Party Animals is one of the baseball teams in the Banana Ball League. They play the four other teams in the league which are the Firefighters, Visitors, Texas Tailgators, and the Savannah Bananas. This league has captured the attention of many because of their fun view on baseball games. They dance and entertain on the field while still capturing the talent of professional baseball players. One viewer who has come to love this style of play is Junior Taylor Ray.
“I would describe the League as baseball with ADHD,” Ray said.“There is constantly stuff going on; music, dancing, games, tricks, etc. I felt entertained the entire time which I normally don’t feel with normal baseball.”
Benson mentions that they try to do activities that no one has ever seen before on a baseball field. The Party Animals want to create something the fans will want to see every game.
Benson’s High School coach, Ron Bradley, comments about his past players’ skills.
“He was very instrumental in us winning that state championship, and he was a left-handed pitcher that was able to change speeds and angles,” Bradley said. “He did an outstanding job of being able to keep hitters off balance and through that he was able to gain confidence and Ben in his senior year.
Benson is talented when it comes to baseball, and when it comes to dancing. He speaks about the long road filled with straining hip injuries and major setbacks to his eventual success. We all start somewhere and this alum claims the journey took a turn for the best during his years here in High School.
“Harber was the first time I had to learn to be a competitor and bet on myself. I was always the type of guy who had a servant’s heart and always allowed others to go before me in drills and other things,” Benson said. “That is until one day Coach Bradley told me I’ve got true potential, I just need to be assertive with myself and believe that I’m capable of getting the job done. That has stuck with me even to this day.”
Because the Banana Ball League is so packed full of elite talent it’s hard to find a happy medium between being playful and serious on the field. But Benson has delivered on both ends due to his outgoing personality and unbreakable confidence.
“He believed that there was nobody that was better than he was and that has kind of carried over in his career,” Bradley said. “And to be able to see him accomplish being chosen to play for The Party Animals has been absolutely great because he gets to use his personality, which is very outgoing and he is able to use his athleticism.”
Benson will not play the first couple of games of the season because of a lower-body injury, however, his estimated return is two weeks into the season. The season kicks off with a three-game road trip to Glendale, AZ playing the Savannah Bananas in Camelback Ranch Stadium. Although Benson won’t be playing, he is ready to watch and support his Banana Ball team.
“Even though I haven’t been able to pitch much, especially after I strained my hip, and won’t be able to pitch in the first two weekends,” Benson said. “I still hold my head high with confidence, because I know that I deserve to be here, not only because of my work ethic but also because my talent of dancing has brought something people have never seen before on a baseball diamond.”