A general view of the field before the Tennessee Volunteers play the Texas A&M Aggies at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on March 24, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The home of the University of Tennessee baseball program will undergo new renovations that were approved by the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees on Friday in Memphis, which gave the go-ahead on the project.
The budget for the renovations is $95.9 Million, which will extensively modify Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, according to the University of Tennessee Athletics website.
Upgrades with new seating down the first and third baselines are expected to be completed before the 2024 regular season, with the second phase of renovations to be completed just in time for the 2025 season.
Lindsey Nelson Stadium currently holds 4,300. The renovations will raise the capacity to 6,150 seats with additional standing room access that hold up to 1,600 people, for a capacity of 7,600 fans during Volunteers home games or NCAA Regional and Super Regional games.
New premium seating similar to a Major League Baseball and Triple-A ballpark are coming to the stadium on campus, including an expanded MVP Room with a club level that seats close to 800 spectators and multiple tiers of four-seat, table-top seating on the third base side.
There will be two entry gates, with one of the gates being used only for student attendance to help traffic keep moving, along with upgraded locker rooms and weight rooms at the facility.
“One thing we’ve been strategic about throughout this process is ensuring that the final product provides our team with the most unique and tangible home field advantage in college baseball. Our fans and students always make their presence felt—and we want to maximize their impact on winning ball games,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White stated on Friday on the University of Tennessee’s Athletics website.
The University of Tennessee has projected nearly $8 million in revenue from the new naming rights for the newly-renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Lindsey Nelson Stadium will be in its 31st year of operation during the start of the 2024 season.