KODAK, Tenn. — Bases are loaded for the Tennessee Smokies as the start of this year's baseball season approaches. As of March 6, there are 59 days until they appear on the home plate, ready to swing for the stands.
They are scheduled to open their season on May 4. Tim Volk, the Tennessee Smokies' general manager, said that it will be the first professional baseball game in East Tennessee in 22 months, since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's definitely been tough," he said. "It's been a long time coming and again, we're going to almost be at two years, by the time May rolls around, since we've played professional baseball here. So, we're really excited."
He also said that there will be fans in the stands to cheer on the team, but also said they are working to figure out the exact details around their first game, such as the stadium's capacity and the number of tickets that can be sold.
The schedule will also look different this year. Each homestand will be six games running Tuesday through Sunday. Most games will begin at 7 p.m., with occasional 2 p.m. games on Sundays.
In total, the Tennessee Smokies are set to play 60 home games.
On May 4, they will face the Montgomery Biscuits at 7 p.m. at home.