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Mac Danford

@mac_danford

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Tailgaters #11🤠
ACF💍
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The 2026 BBCL Champs @thetexastailgaters

Winning the first ever Banana Ball Championship with the Tailgaters this year was special for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest had very little to do with baseball.

For a long time, I played with an anxious heart. I was constantly comparing myself to others, worrying about how I measured up, and putting pressure on myself to prove something.

This year, that changed. I started surrendering that pressure to the Lord and trusting Him with the things I couldn’t control. Instead of playing to prove myself, I could finally just play. Free to compete, free to have fun, and free to be present in the moment.

And in that freedom, I found myself connecting with my teammates, the fans, and the game itself in a way I hadn’t before. I never could’ve imagined how much support I would receive this year from teammates, coaches, family, fans, and my incredible wife!

I’m grateful we got to finish the year as champions, but I’m even more grateful for what the Lord taught me and this team along the way. No game will define who I am. I don’t have to earn my worth through my performance.

This championship will always mean a lot to me, not just because we won, but because of how the Lord used myself and the people around me.

All glory to God… and Gater Up💙🧡

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FAN VOTE IS TODAY! Go vote Jimmy Lewis if you wanna see Thicc Jim stay in a Tailgaters uniform!
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#fyp #bananaball #baseballboys

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Had a great time watching the Tailgaters at play offs so here’s another Tailgaters drawing! #bananaball #etsy #redbubbledesigns #texastailgaters #bananaballstickers

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You knew it would be the best City Selection Show when the squad rode up with the Red Dirt Hat Co!! 🧢

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Banana Ball Champions!!! What a ride!!!#texastailgaters #justinboots #montanasilversmithsbuckle #callawaygolf

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A lot of people don’t know this about me but I’ve never won a championship. In pro ball I got a few rings but I was never there for the big moment.

In 14 years of competitive baseball here is my road to glory:

High School Era:

2013: freshman b!tch boy on varsity. Didn’t play a lick all season
2014: missed playoffs and blew out my elbow mid season and couldn’t play (I was 15 at the time)
2015: missed playoffs
2016: lost first playoff game

College Era:

2017: missed playoffs
2018: missed playoffs
2019: missed playoffs

Pro Ball Era:

2019: missed playoffs
2020: …yup
2021: torn hip labrum. Missed half of season. Came back and missed playoffs
2022: high A south bend cubs win championship. I wasn’t there. I was in Tennessee where we made it all the way to the championship and lost. I got us there in the semi playoffs but never played in the championship series.
2023: AAA missed playoffs (very hard to win a AAA championship because one league has 10 teams and the other has twenty. Not to mention turnover is nuts)
2024: AAA missed playoffs

I actually started thinking that maybe we’re not winning because I was the problem. Whether it’s true or not, at this point I was just in it for myself.

2025: played at all levels except the Big Leagues and every team I was on lost in the playoffs.

Banana Ball Era:

2026: BANANA BOWL CHAMPION!!!

There’s a reason I collapsed to my knees when we won. I couldn’t believe it. All that work had finally paid off.

To everyone that I’ve ever played with, worked with, or had the pleasure of meeting through this game… Thank you ❤️

Some of you aren’t here anymore. But in one way or another, you were all right there with me. 💙🧡

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SHOWTIME
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#sonya7iii #bananabowl #bananaball #texastailgaters #champs

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Not much to say when the pictures speak louder. The Texas Tailgaters are the Banana Bowl Champions. This season has been the most memorable and one we will forever be thankful for. To think a few months ago a group of strangers would turn to family. Thank you for loving Zi.

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A year I will always hold dearly to me. A team I will always be there for. And the first Banana Bowl Championship that will always belong to the Texas Tailgaters. Gater up.
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#fyp #bananaball #bananabowl #baseballboys #

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What an incredible way to spend my birthday! Couldn’t have imagined a better place to spend than bananaland! Got to watch the inaugural banana bowl and see The Texas Tailgaters win! #bananabowl Part 3!

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From our very first tailgate to becoming Banana Bowl Champions, what a ride it’s been. 💙

From the fans who were with us from the start to everyone who joined the tailgate along the way, THANK YOU for believing in us and making this season one we’ll never forget.

This was only the beginning. Gater Up! 🐊

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2026 Banana Bowl Champions ✅

#fyp #bananabowl #championship #baseball #celebration

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