Report: Speedway Classic field will be shipped to ETSU, used for baseball and softball

As odd as it sounds, Bristol Motor Speedway is hosting an MLB game on Saturday. A field was built inside the track for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds to face off. Not having much use for it going forward, a local Division I school will be receiving the field moving forward.

FOX’s Ken Rosenthal provided a report saying East Tennessee State University will be the one receiving the turf. Both the baseball and softball programs will benefit. Located in nearby Johnson City, TN, a nice gesture from Major League Baseball.

“This is not the last we will see of this field,” Rosenthal said. “After this game, it’s going to be taken to East Tennessee State University. It’s going to be the field for their baseball and softball teams. Murray Cook, Major League Baseball’s director of field operations, does an amazing job. All the players were praising this field beforehand. And it’s going to have a home at ETSU.”

Thomas Stadium is where ETSU plays its baseball, making a little history this past season. For the first time, the Buccaneers one both the regular season and conference tournament. An automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament was received, just the fifth for the program.

Joe Pennucci is in his eighth season as ETSU’s head coach. Hiring him back in 2018, Pennucci was previously an assistant coach at Stony Brook. Getting back into the postseason was a massive achievement, hoping the momentum can continue moving forward.

Moving over to the softball side, Betty Basler Field is still relatively new. Opening up in 2009, it’s the first on-campus stadium for the team. Now, some top-grade renovations are going to be on the way.

However, the success of the baseball program does not follow over. ETSU went 18-37 overall and 6-15 in conference play. To find the last time they finished over .500, you have to go all the way back to 2017. Maybe receiving a new field can inspire some confidence moving forward.

For now, they are still attempting to get a baseball game in. MLB pushed the game back to Sunday afternoon after deciding they could not play on due to rain in the area. It will pick back up in the bottom of the first inning with the Reds up by a score of 1-0. But at some point, the field will be heading just over 40 miles away to East Tennessee State.