Liberal resident and former Seward County Saints and Liberal Bee Jay Kelby Tomlinson is in the Banana Ball Player Draft. Tomlinson will be selected on the Savannah Bananas YouTube channel Wednesday night at 6pm CST during the live draft.
The Banana Ball Championship League (BBCL or Banana League)[1][2] is a barnstorming professional baseball league based in Savannah, Georgia. The league, which held its debut season in 2026, plays a version of baseball called Banana Ball developed by the Savannah Bananas which emphasizes showmanship, fan participation, and quick-paced games.
The league has six teams: the Bananas, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, the Texas Tailgaters, the Loco Beach Coconuts and the Indianapolis Clowns, the latter a revival of the Negro League baseball team. BBCL games are played primarily at baseball and football stadiums around the United States.
Tomlinson played in (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants by whom he was drafted in 2011.
Tomlinson became the first Seward County player to play in a regular season MLB game. The Liberal resident played for Seward in 2009 and 2010 and for the Bee Jays in 2010 and shortly in 2011.
Tomlinson burst onto the scene with the Saints in 2010 when he hit .353 with 13 doubles, 6 triples, and 6 home runs while stealing 28 bases for Seward’s conference championship club. He was an all American. The Elgin, Oklahoma native hit 274 as a freshman.
Tomlinson was the shortstop of a Bee Jay team in 2010 which went 38-14 and won the NBC championship. He hit .337 for that team with one home run, 30 RBI’s, 12 doubles, four triples, and was 41-43 in stolen bases. He played shortly for the Bee Jays in 2011 before signing a pro contract.
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