Jan. 20, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee baseball team will host a pre-season fan appreciation day from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 12 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Fans are invited to come tour the recently renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium, meet the team and take a few swings in the new indoor batting cage facility.

"When we found out that it wasn't going to be feasible for us to host our banquet this year, we knew we had to do something to show our fans how much we appreciate them and get them excited for the upcoming season," UT Head Coach Todd Raleigh said. "Hopefully, this will give everyone a chance to come out and get to know our players, get an inside look at our incredible facilities and maybe even go home with a few prizes. We are looking forward to the opportunities ahead of us this year and hope everyone can come out to Lindsey Nelson Stadium to share in our excitement."

Every fan in attendance will receive two free tickets to the season opener against Milwaukee at 4 p.m. on Feb. 18. UT's three full-time coaches will each hold a question-and-answer session in the MVP Club Room as well, with Jason Beverlin discussing pitching at 10 a.m., Ash Lawson talking about hitting and base running at 10:30 a.m. and Head Coach Todd Raleigh providing a season preview at 11 a.m.

Fans will have the opportunity to interact with and get autographs from members of the team, participate in raffle drawings for a variety of prizes, including the chance to throw out the first pitch at a future game, and watch the team in action as it will scrimmage following the day's festivities.

In addition, fans will be able to take a first-hand look at available seats in Lindsey Nelson Stadium and have the opportunity to purchase 2011 season tickets with home games against defending national champion South Carolina and other perennial title contenders such as Ole Miss, Georgia, Mississippi State and Auburn.

Parking is available inside the left-field gate or in lot C-1 behind the scoreboard in right field. For more information, please call (865) 974-9079.