Sokolove posted his first audition tape on Instagram in late May, featuring his charismatic personality, trick plays and in-game highlights. From there, he’s amassed 25,000 followers on TikTok.

His witty charm got its start 82 miles west of MSU at Hudsonville High School, where Sokolove ran his football team’s TikTok account and accumulated upwards of 15,000 followers. 

"I love to entertain, and obviously, I love baseball," Sokolove said. "I was like, this is literally perfect."

A four-year letter winner and All-State Honoree in football and baseball, Sokolove had what it took to find a roster on a Division 1 team at Illinois State. The 5-foot-10 speedster was 34 for 36 on stolen bases in three years with the Redbirds, and took a hiatus from social media to focus on his play. But after transferring to East Lansing, he felt as though there were too many opportunities not to pick it back up.

"I always love the content side of stuff—the Banana Ball stuff that was being posted—but I didn't really know what that would look like," Sokolove said. "So as the season kept progressing, [my teammates] came to me saying I had to try out, so I decided I’d give it a shot."

As a part of his training this summer, he’s been working out—adding 20 pounds to his frame, practicing new trick plays and posting daily videos on TikTok, all while making time for trips with friends and time with family. Through the long, hot days of summer, gymnastics turned out to be a much bigger part of his training than he’d anticipated. 

When watching a Banana Ball game, players pull off incredible plays that no one in a "normal" game would even fathom. For outfielders like Sokolove, backflip catches have become commonplace in the league, adding entertainment value but no real game advantage. Sokolove began to put his own spin on the play with a "full catch."

In gymnastics, a full twist is when a gymnast completes a somersault and spins their body around one turn at the same time. Incorporating the move while trying to catch a fly ball is no easy task, and Sokolove says he’s earned an all-new respect for gymnasts.

"My respect for gymnastics is on another level," Sokolove said. "I knew it was crazy to do this stuff, but when you try and do it yourself, my respect for gymnastics goes through the roof."

Sokolove says that once he accomplishes the full catch, it will be his favorite play. "It'll be the hardest trick play, but it'll be the one that's my favorite for sure," he said.

JT Sokolove transferred to East Lansing for his senior year, slashing .224/.360/.288 with captivating defense in center field. His marquee moment in green and white came against Ohio State with an 11th-inning walk-off home run to right field. Drenched in Gatorade, Sokolove said it was an excellent moment.

"It was great," Sokolove said. "Going into that at-bat, I was getting kind of frustrated to be honest with just how the day had gone, but just reminding myself, just give my stats, give it all to God, and he’ll take care, I think that was all him right there."

Growing up, Christianity was never a pillar of his life, but that changed during his freshman year at Illinois State. Finding identity outside of himself was what gave him the push, he said. His faith allowed him to make choices freely and grow his confidence on the diamond. Sokolove said that all good things in his life have come from God. 

"I can have so much, I can live so much more freely and have so much more confidence knowing that I'm not looking for the approval of others," Sokolove said. "That doesn't mean I'm going to be a bad person, but I'm not looking for the approval of others. I just want to chase after Jesus and be as close to Jesus as I can be."

Now, Sokolove has formed friendships at the intersection of Banana Ball and religion. Shortly after he committed to a pursuit of Banana Ball, his friend Carson Fisher from Miami University connected him with Clark Gilmore, a relief pitcher from Notre Dame. The two hit it off immediately, hosting TikTok live streams together to grow their following, both with hopes of joining a Banana Ball roster.

From there, Sokolove met other banana hopefuls in Texas State’s Cam Thompson and former Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A pitcher Braden Webb, all devout Christians who have become some of Sokolove’s closest friends. 

"Meeting them has been unbelievable," Sokolove said. "I literally get to talk to my best friends from Illinois State every single day, and then I get to talk to (my new friends) at night. It feels like 24/7 with the boys."

It didn’t take long for the five to start a bible study in their nightly live streams. According to Sokolove, within 24 hours, the group planned a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to create content. Sokolove says being able to share a bond in their religion and common interests has been incredible. 

"They’re all some of the most fun guys I've ever met because they're all doing the same thing I'm doing," Sokolove said. "They're interested in and love making content. They love baseball and they love Jesus. We have so much in common with one another."

When he began his training in May, the goal was to get recognized by someone in the league—that happened much faster than he thought it would. After cold-messaging the Banana Ball recruiting director, he soon got a call telling him he’d get a tryout. Sokolove said he was pacing around the gym during a workout when he got the call he’d been waiting months for. 

"I've never had a phone call and notes on my phone going so fast at the same time," Sokolove said. "I wrote down every single word that came out of his mouth to me for advice and where I stood."

Sokolove is now set for a tryout in Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 16, where he’ll showcase himself for the six Banana Ball teams.