This Carolina alumna went Bananas
Kelly Yang ’08 works behind the scenes for the Savannah Bananas, who bring barnstorming baseball to Kenan Stadium April 11-12.
A mix of skills Kelly Yang ’08 learned at UNC-Chapel Hill now help her play a key behind-the-scenes role for one of the most entertaining, innovative shows in sports.
Last year, Yang left her career working in talent acquisition for large corporations to join the Savannah Bananas, the sensational dancing baseball team that brings their 2026 Banana Ball World Tour to Carolina’s Kenan Stadium April 11-12.
Yang, a native of Mint Hill, North Carolina, works on the Bananas’ People and Culture team. The lifelong sports fan was unfamiliar with the Bananas’ creative spin on America’s pastime until she and her husband watched a documentary during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bananas games are more than just baseball — they’re a full-on entertainment experience. Players, coaches and umpires have epic celebrations after successful plays. One of the team’s owners consistently wears a yellow tuxedo. They have their own set of rules that emphasize a fan-first experience. One player wears stilts.
“I got locked in on it,” she said. “I could get in on this because they had dancers, they had performers, they had fun TikTok videos. It kind of piqued my interest.”
The team has boomed in popularity in recent years, selling out 500 consecutive games and moving from playing in mostly minor league baseball stadiums to visiting NFL and MLB venues. They now field six teams.
After the documentary, Yang’s husband signed up for the K Club, the Bananas’ official fan club. The couple attended their first game at Savannah’s Historic Grayson Stadium in 2025.
On a whim, Yang signed up to receive job notifications from the Bananas. When she saw an opening for a payroll specialist, her Carolina education came into play.
She studied journalism at Carolina, focusing on public relations. Yang credits her UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media professors, focusing on the minutiae of spelling, grammar and storytelling, for being able to assemble a good resume — and evaluate those of applicants.
After an interview process that stretched more than two months, the Bananas came back with an even better offer — a tour staffing and payroll director role that seemed almost perfectly curated to fit her skillset and expertise.
Yang, seen here with her grandmother at Savannah’s Historic Grayson Stadium, said she hopes to retire with the Bananas. She’ll sit with family and friends for one of the team’s games at Kenan Stadium. (Submitted photo)
The experience has been a workplace unlike any other.
“I jokingly always say it feels like a startup that just happens to be kind of large,” Yang said. “Because we’re figuring out things as we’re growing.
“We’re intentional with hires, even the internship hires, because we want to develop careers and bring in folks who will hopefully build the brand even further as we are continuously growing. We want to have staff stay for the long haul.”
Yang felt destined to attend Carolina, beginning college at UNC Charlotte but transferring to Chapel Hill, steadfast in her pursuit.
While here, she wrote for The Daily Tar Heel, developing a passion for meeting people and telling their stories, skills she later used in retail management to recruit college students for seasonal roles. She now applies them in a career that also reflects her lifelong love of sports.
When the Bananas visit Chapel Hill, Yang will be with her husband, some family members and friends in the same stadium where she celebrated her Commencement.
For her, it’s just the beginning of a special experience.
“I hope to be able to retire with the Savannah Bananas because I’m contributing in a way I think is more meaningful than I’ve ever felt in a career position,” Yang said. “It’s not going to work — it’s just going to do what I enjoy.”
