The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers have had an explosive start to their season, starting 32-5 and coming off the back of a tight series win against No. 11 Ole Miss. With just over a month to the SEC Championship, Tennessee fans have been breaking attendance records to support the team’s journey to defend their national championship.
Following the 2023 season, Tennessee announced that the home baseball field, Lindsey-Nelson Stadium, would undergo a $100 million two-year renovation to improve the game viewing experience. After two years of renovations, the construction ran into issues with utilities in the area, causing the project to carry into the 2025 season. Tennessee now anticipates completing the renovations before the 2026 season kicks off.
The University lists the current capacity for the stadium at 6,298, aiming to increase that number to over 7,750 by the 2026 season. Despite the claimed capacity, Vols fans set a new school record of 6,544 attendants during their last home series against Texas A&M.
“It’s super fun to come to games, it makes it hard to get a ticket,” Tennessee freshman Abby Long said. “Everyone wants to come see the national champs.”
The success of the 2024 season, paired with the strong season the Vols have been putting together so far, has led to an abundance of excitement around the team in Knoxville, especially for students on campus. Students like Justin Feret talked about the students’ excitement surrounding the team during the record-breaking Texas A&M series.
“It’s something to be proud of, you know?” Feret said. “We had a good baseball team last year, and we got a good baseball team this year. Who wouldn’t get excited about it?”
The renovations have significantly changed the student game-day experience, with the original first-base student section relocated to deep left field near the Vols’ bullpen. Additionally, the new student section is standing room only, hoping to keep the students energetic and on their feet through all nine innings.
The new changes have been a bit of a mixed bag among students so far. Some enjoy the changes in viewing and accessibility, while others have pointed out aspects they wish were different. Students like junior Philip Stalzer, who went to around 15 games last year, expressed their concerns with the changes compared to the old student section.
“The student section being shoved in the corner, seems like it’s shrunk down a lot and now it’s all standing room, it’s just not very inviting for students,” Stalzer said. “It’s kind of like they’re just throwing us to the street corner.”
The student section isn’t the only major change, with Tennessee also adding new standing-room areas and several premium seating sections.
Despite the already large changes, plenty is in store for the stadium planned for next season. Before the 2026 season kicks off, the stadium will add a new sound system, suites and club seating, a team merchandise shop, and a full-service kitchen.
For now, the Vols will finish their season surrounded by construction equipment and excavation sites, which signal major changes that will continue to come. Tennessee’s next home contest will come against Kentucky in a series where fans could look to break the attendance record once again for the anticipated border battle.
