Texas Tailgater Jayson Arendt Hits a Home Run on ‘American Idol’ with Chris Stapleton Cover

From the Banana Ball Championship league to the American Idol audition room, 24-year-old Jayson Arendt proved that talent comes in all forms when he delivered a stunning rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Fire Away” on Monday night.

The contestant is no stranger to performing, however his gigs look a bit different than your average aspiring artist. He is a member of the Texas Tailgaters, a professional “Banana Ball” baseball team similar to the popular Savannah Bananas. Both teams feature players who are former minor leaguers and college athletes and are known for delivering fast-paced, high-energy games full of musical performances, stunts, and fan interaction.

“I got into it actually as a singer. Outside of the actual game, we’ll put on concerts. The whole point is just to keep the fans engaged the whole time and make sure they have fun,” Jayson explained of his unique role.

When the Fuquay-varina, NC native stepped into the Idol audition with his teammates in tow, they brought that same charisma and passion. They danced out the nerves with Luke Bryan and passed around a few jokes, but when it came time to showcase his talent through the slow-burning tune, Jayson let his deep and steady vocals do the talking.

“All that I’ll say is/ Fire away/ Take your best shot/ Show me what you got/ Honey, I’m not afraid/ Rear back and take aim/ And fire away,” he sang while simultaneously strumming the tender melody on his acoustic guitar.

Lionel Richie was quick to point out that Jayson had a “nice” and “distinguishable” voice that was unlike anything they had found yet this season. However, when the mic was handed to Underwood, she admitted some hesitation about whether Jayson could balance his high-energy, entertainment-driven persona with the more serious side of his music beyond the baseball field.

“I think my thing is, if you do end up going forward, it’s just the taking this part of you seriously,” she expressed. “Like you guys are obviously so much fun. I love it and I want to feel you emote. I want to hear more.”

Luke Bryan then offered him some advice in his career moving forward.

“I used to try to sing everything as loud as I could. It took me years to kind of go, I don’t have to sing loud every time I can kind of calm it down. So just think about that.”

When the attention turned back to Richie, he offered a strong yes. Hoping to convince a win out of Underwood as well, a teammate playfully flashed his abs, to which she responded she has her own abs to stare at in her home, her husbands. Regardless, she gave her approval follower by Bryan who offered Jayson his third “yes” and earned him a golden ticket.

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Throughout the entire performance and the intense voting moment, his teammates cheered loudly, showing nonstop excitement and support. The “Mind of a Country Boy” even joined them in celebrating at the end of the audition.

Fans will see Jayson Arendt’s journey continue during the infamous Hollywood Week, which will take place in Nashville, TN this year in a new twist. Meanwhile, the next wave of Idol auditions will air on Monday, Feb. 2 on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.