AXTELL, Texas (KXXV) — The Savannah Bananas are selling out Kyle Field — one the field, the one yelling strike out is Randal Voss.
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"I'm from Axtell, a small town right outside of Waco. Little League area needed some umpires. I finally decided to come out here, fell back in love with the game. I used to play as a kid," Voss said.
Voss' journey to the Bananas started with a phone call from his friend.
"He calls me up and he's like the Bananas are looking for another umpire. We're going on a world tour in 2023. You interested? And I was like uh, yeah," he said.
The Bananas are known for their fun characters, and Voss' character is no different as he not only pumps up the crowd, but is also pumping iron.
"I've come up with a new character called "The Pumped Ump". I'll go on the field, do push-ups, handstands, flex for the crowd, have the kids come out, flex with the kids, they love it, you know, get the kids involved," he said.
Playing in front of 100 thousand fans hasn't sunk in yet for the Axtell native, but one thing is for sure — he always remembers where he came from.
"You know, being out here, it's awesome. I started out here as a kid, I know a lot of kids, my friend's kids are out here hopefully my kids will be out here one day. It's just kind of like a full circle moment," Voss said.
The Savannah Bananas take the diamond at Kyle Field on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
