SELINSGROVE, PA - Tyler Rigot's journey in college baseball is anything but ordinary. He started his career up the road at Bucknell University, a NCAA Division I mid-major program in the Patriot League, before transferring to Susquehanna University and competing in the Landmark Conference at the NCAA Division III level. After a successful three-year stint at Susquehanna, Rigot returned to the NCAA Division I level and joined the University of Richmond Spiders.
 
His college baseball career ended in the summer of 2025, but Rigot's journey in baseball has been far from over. Now, he's playing in the Savannah Bananas' Banana Ball Championship League. The Bananas have become a cultural phenomenon, taking the baseball world by storm with an entertaining and unique twist on the game. Rigot started his BBCL career in June of 2025 with the Firefighters, a traveling team that competes against the Savannah Bananas and other opponents in venues across the United States. In this league, Rigot has enjoyed the opportunity to travel the country and play in iconic venues like Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. He has pitched in ten sold-out MLB parks along with many other venues during his first year. It's a new approach to the game he loves, but one that Rigot hopes will continue to catapult him to places he never dreamed of. In November, the Banana Ball Championship League held its first ever draft to reorganize the teams and Rigot was drafted in the seventh round to the Texas Tailgators. With the Tailgators, Rigot will be pitching in unique stadiums in front crowds greater than 100,000 at venues such as Kyle Field at Texas A&M and Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee. 
 
SUSQUEHANNA EXPERIENCE
 
While Rigot is relishing his current opportunity, he's quick to credit his time at Susquehanna for putting him in this position. A left-handed pitcher, he originally pursued Division I baseball, playing his first season in 2020 at Bucknell University. His college career stalled before it barely started, appearing in five games with one start before the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 he returned for his second year with the Bison, though only made two starts before his season was again cut short due to injury. With all four years of eligibility still in hand, Rigot, a Charlotte, N.C. native, decided to transfer back to his native state at Davidson College, which competed in the Atlantic 10 Conference. But a health issue sidelined him again, causing him to withdraw from school. When it came time to pick up his glove again, NCAA transfer rules at that time prevented him from transferring to another Division I school without sitting out for a season. In order to play in 2022 he would have to drop down a division. This odyssey led him back to Central Pennsylvania and Division III. 

Rigot transferred to Susquehanna in spring of 2022 and was an immediate contributor on the mound for the River Hawks. He sported a 3.10 earned run average with 22 strikeouts through 20.1 innings, recording a 3-1 mark through seven appearances with two starts. He moved into the starting rotation in 2023, making 11 starts. He finished second on the team with 47 strikeouts, going 2-2 as a starter with a 5.79 ERA. The team battled through highs and lows that year, finding their rhythm near the end of the regular season with an even 9-9 Landmark record to make the conference tournament. But when the team needed a lift, Rigot was there to save the season. Facing an elimination game against Elizabethtown, Rigot turned in a nine-inning, four-hit performance and the win as the River Hawks won a ten-inning thriller, 4-2, en route to defeating Scranton the next day for their first Landmark championship since 2019. In his final season with Susquehanna in 2024, Rigot registered a 2-1 record with eight starts, recording 39 strikeouts over 31.2 innings with a 4.26 ERA. His final stat line at Susquehanna was 108 career strikeouts and seven wins with a 4.74 lifetime ERA. 

"That was a really special experience, and I was able to form some relationships with some brothers and friends for life, and we continue to stay in touch to this day," Rigot added.

 
While Rigot's baseball career at Susquehanna was impressive, his academic career was equally as successful. Rigot majored in Psychology and minored in Spanish, graduating as the valedictorian of his class with a 4.0 GPA. He was also a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection, given to student-athletes with similar academic and athletic excellence. 
 

"I worked with great professors that pushed me in the classroom, and I was able to have success balancing that as a student-athlete. Everything worked out, and I'm very appreciative of my time at Susquehanna," Rigot shared.

 
FROM RICHMOND SPIDERS TO SAVANNAH BANANAS
 
With one more year of eligibility, Rigot took that opportunity to return to the Division I level and play for the University of Richmond Spiders. Rigot had a productive 2025 season in Richmond as a relief pitcher, posting a 3.42 ERA with 29 strikeouts versus 8 walks over 26.1 innings, a WHIP OF 1.14, earning a 2-0 record and lead the team in saves. In all D1 baseball for 2025, Rigot was number 1 in the country for Shadow Zone % at 40% and number 7 in the country with a chase percentage of 33.7%. More importantly, his season at Richmond helped him land his current position with the Savannah Bananas.
 
Rigot's coach at Richmond, Nate Mulberg, submitted Rigot's name to the Bananas organization as a player that would fit their mold of entertaining and playing at a high level. Rigot kept the Bananas updated on his progress throughout the season, and following a strong statistical campaign, he was offered a position to compete in the Banana Ball Championship League.
 

"I continue to adamantly keep the organization up to date on each of my outings and how the season was going, but it was kind of just the perfect storm of events of having a connection," Rigot said. "I think I fit the script well for them."

 
Banana Ball is a sped-up version of baseball, with several unique rules that keep the fans engaged. There are no walks, batters can't step out of the batter's box, and bunting is not allowed. In addition to the nuances of the game, the players engage with the fans throughout the game and attempt to make the experience as entertaining as possible.
 

"There's just so much going on, and it's just never a dull moment," Rigot said. "There's music playing the whole time, there's dances, so if you want to see a sped-up baseball game, unbelievable amount of entertainment, that's where you want to go, Banana Ball."

 
A PERFECT FIT
 
For Rigot, Banana Ball is the perfect fit. He's always been a competitor on the field, and now, he has the opportunity to engage with fans and make the game he loves more entertaining for everyone. As he reflects on his journey, Rigot acknowledges how his time at Susquehanna prepared him for this position and helped set him up for success.

"I have no regrets," Rigot said. "It helped me end up in a great place in life where I'm doing what I love and getting into this unique industry of Banana Ball and learning on the fly."

"I think my time at Susquehanna helped me be adaptable, able to understand what it takes to work through the grind. Susquehanna is, and always will be, an important part of my journey that I'm grateful for."

A major component to Rigot's responsibility as a Texas Tailgater, outside of performance on the field, is to develop his social media platform.  Please follow Tyler Rigot, AKA Big Rig at the following: Instagram - bigrig_29, TikTok - bigrig_29, and YouTube - @bigrig_29.