The Savannah Bananas of Chicago? With a familiar face at the helm, the Snowballs will give it a shot

How did a phone call bring a hall-of-fame coach out of retirement? You could say things snowballed.

And in fact, that is exactly what was said by Mike Napoleon, the retired and record-breaking New Trier High School baseball coach, and Cherie Travis, co-owner of the incoming pro-baseball team the Chicago Snowballs.

“They showed me the job description and everything led me to look into it a little more in depth. I met the four people spearheading this. … It was snowballing, literally,” Napoleon said. “After a few zoom calls, I accepted the position.”

That position is head coach of the Snowballs, a co-ed, “sportstainment experience” that hopes to ride the wave of success created by the Savannah Bananas and their counterparts. The Bananas have become a revelation of independent professional baseball by combining a ballgame with a fan-engaging performance.

The Bananas — and their peers, like the Party Animals and Firefighters, in the Banana Ball Championship League — have become big business. The past couple of summers the Bananas have taken their show on the road and played in and packed Major League stadiums nationwide, raking in tens of millions of dollars a year in ticket, merchandise and sponsorship sales.

The Chicago Snowballs are trying to get in the game, and Napoleon, the all-time-winningest high school baseball coach in Illinois, is here for it.

“This is a new phase in my life. … I was looking for something else to do,” said Napoleon, who retired following the 2023-’24 school year. “… I thought, hey this is something I have interest in. I enjoy watching the Savannah Bananas. If we could do that in Chicago, this could be a big thing.”

Cherie Travis and her brother Paul Travis founded and own the Snowballs. Cherie, the CEO, is a Chicago resident and attorney who loves the game of baseball. She has volunteered for youth baseball programs in the city.

She told The Record that the Savannah Bananas of course inspired the Snowballs, but also, she hopes the Snowballs create opportunities for adult athletes who still want to and can play ball — and that includes women.

The Snowballs co-ed roster is a unique element to their game.

“Being able to hire men and women athletes — that has not been done before,” Cherie Travis said. “Women sports are really coming into their own and we want to be a part of that. There are really amazing female athletes who have been short-changed on opportunities.”

Looking for approximately 60 talents, the Snowballs are hosting open tryouts Jan. 5-8 with callbacks on Jan. 9 at the The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont. The gig comes with monthly and gender-equal pay, profit sharing and “other perks,” according to the Snowballs website, where fans and potential Snowballs can get more info.

The Snowballs are also selling tickets for fans to come out noon-4 p.m. Jan. 9 to witness the final day of tryouts and a sneak peek at the product.

Napoleon has run more than his fair share of tryouts. This one, though, will be different.

“We’re looking for baseball skill, theatrics in what they can do,” the coach said. “Personalities play a big role and how they entertain people and get them to laugh. We need big personalities. Are they flamboyant in what they do? Showmanship is going to be huge.”

He added of potential rosterees, “They have to be all in. They have to be ready to commit and have a passion for this type of thing. We want the person who is watching the Savannah Bananas thinking, ‘Can I do that?'”

Cherie Travis said Napoleon was the right man for the job.

Under Napoleon (1997-2024), New Trier baseball collected 15 league championships, 20 regional crowns, 10 sectional titles and six state trophies (top 4), including state championships in 2000 and 2009.

And with his retirement in 2024, it was also the right time, she said.

“The timing was perfect,” she said. “We were looking for someone for whom this was a nice next chapter. He has a lot of energy and was the perfect candidate.

“And also, was an easy sell.”

Aside from Napoleon as the head coach, the Snowballs also have on board tumbling coach Emmanuel McGhee, the head coach of The Jessie White Tumblers, and dance coach Pierre Lockett, founder of Forward Momentum Chicago.

The Snowballs will split their roster in two and play each other in two-hour performances. They plan to open their season on May 3, 2026 at Kerry Wood Field on Chicago’s North Side.

Travis said the Snowballs home is Chicago, and they will primarily perform in Chicagoland, but she hopes the team can visit all kinds of crowds and all over the state — and maybe beyond. She has ideas of playing at college stadiums and against the Chicago Police Department and maybe the Snowballs can form a league of its own.

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