Party Animals' Tanner 'Tinder' Thomas Found 'Love' With A 78-Year-Old Fan

Party Animals' fan-favorite Tanner Thomas, or as some know him, Tanner "Tinder" Thomas, isn't just rewriting the rules of baseball.

A former Virginia Tech standout and MLB Draft pick, Thomas first made waves with the Savannah Bananas before becoming a cornerstone outfielder for the Bananas' rival team, the Party Animals, in 2023. Since then, he's been lighting up ballparks nationwide.

The Bananas and Party Animals have packed stadiums across the country as part of the 2025 Banana Ball World Tour, with over 111 nearly sold-out games across more than 30 states through October. The Party Animals currently lead the standings with a 35-20 record, backed by explosive bats, slick defense, and pitching that keeps the party locked tight.

Known for his blazing speed, ever-changing hair color, and viral walk-ups (yes, including his pet python, Stella), Tanner Thomas stopped by Raising Cane's "The Mothership," located across from LSU's North Gates, ahead of the Party Animals' sold-out showdown against the Texas Tailgaters this weekend.

While catching up with The Blast at Raising Cane's, Thomas was quick to reveal that his love for the chicken-finger chain runs deep.

"I have been to Cane's so many times," he laughed. "I want to say my first time ever was about a year, year and a half ago. And since then? I can't tell you how many times I've been. But it's been a lot."

His go-to order? "The Caniac is definitely my move," he said proudly. "Solid. Good choice."

While Thomas keeps it classic, his friends go to the extreme. "I've had two friends that have done, like, I think it's a 40-count of chicken fingers," he added. "I don't know if that's a real thing or not, but they do that."

Thomas has been part of the Banana Ball universe since the early days, back when it was still a college summer league and the wild rules were still in their infancy.

"I started in 2018, 2019," he explained. "I played in the college summer league for… I say Bonna now. I don't like saying the word 'bananas,'" he joked. "In college, we still played baseball. If you were playing that day, you didn't really have to do much entertainment at all. The only thing different was, if you weren't playing, you were on top of the dugout dancing for the live crowd."

But when he tried out for the professional team in 2022, everything changed, and it wasn't your average tryout.

"I brought all my normal baseball stuff," Thomas said. "I expected batting practice, fielding ground balls, fly balls… the whole nine yards. But there was a dance tryout. There was a trick play tryout."

"You've got to bring something to the table that no one else would expect," he said. "To stand out, I wore a pizza slice costume. So… you tell me another baseball tryout that's like that, because I don't know one."

Known for embracing the fun of Banana Ball, Thomas leaned all the way into his romantic side this year for a Valentine's Day game that turned into an unforgettable moment.

"My nickname is Tanner 'Tinder' Thomas because I am single. I've been single for a while," he said. "I pitched this idea for a promotion… I was going to try to find the love of my life, and it turned out to be one of my walk-ups."

"I did this walk-up three separate times during the day, found a lady, I want to say her name was Elaine or something like that, but she was like 78 years old," he recalled. "And I found her in the crowd."

The day took a heartwarming turn when Thomas brought her onto the field.

"My last at-bat, I ended up walking out to the plate with her," he said. "We did a little dance at home plate. We didn't end up dating," he said with a chuckle, "but it ended up being a really good time, and I think she really enjoyed it too."

As the Party Animals continue their non-stop national tour, Thomas has been overwhelmed by the fan response, though a few cities left a lasting impression.

"We've sold out hundreds of games at this point," he said. "But there are times that the energy is different."

He pointed to two ballparks that stood out. "I would like to say in Philadelphia, the Phillies stadium last year, really brought the energy," he noted. "They were super passionate about sports up there."

Thomas added, "And fast-forwarding to this year in St. Louis, those fans also brought the energy. So those two are probably my top two, where they were the highest energy and most bought into the game I've ever seen."

When asked who he'd most like to face under Banana Ball rules, Thomas didn't hesitate to name a close friend.

"I actually just had a friend that got pulled up," he said. "He had his first save ever for the Cleveland Guardians. His name is Nic Enright."

"I'd like to face him because I think it'd be a cool little full-circle moment," Thomas said, smiling.

Whether he's ordering a Caniac Combo, twirling a 78-year-old fan at home plate, or going head-to-head with a buddy in front of thousands, Tanner Thomas proves that in Banana Ball, the only rule that really matters is: make it fun.