Photos by Ethan Stone, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Lindsey Nelson Stadium 1511 Pat Head Summitt St Knoxville, TN 37996
Year Opened: 1993 Capacity: 4,283
Vol Ball At Rocky Top
Lindsey Nelson Stadium, smack dab in the middle of the University of Tennessee Knoxville campus, is on the smaller side of SEC baseball venues. The field, which opened in 1993 before a pair of renovations in 2010 and 2018, seats 4,283 fans, which is good enough for ninth among the 14 college baseball powerhouse SEC schools.
Confusingly, the Vols play baseball at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Robert M. Lindsay field – no correlation. It was recently renovated to a turf field from natural grass prior to the 2019 season.
Current head coach Tony Vitello hopes to add more seating in the not too distant future. “I challenge Vol fans to look at Ole Miss’ old stadium,” Vitello said. “Mississippi’s stadium in Oxford— the shell is very similar to ours here and they’ve built that thing into a monster…I think there’s a rivalry between each team in our league, but people in this state are great and they’re great sports fans too. We need more seats in this stadium as well.”
Food & Beverage 4
Prices at Lindsey Nelson Stadium for concessions are more than fair, with a decent variety for a college park. The standard nachos, hot dogs, pretzels and popcorn boxes are all under $5. Only a popcorn tub, refillable with one sticker and decently sized, exceeds the $5 mark, coming in at $6. Both card and cash are accepted throughout the concourse.
Beverages are a different story. A water bottle is $6 and a refillable souvenir cup will set you back $7.
There are multiple stands set up around the stadium, the main just behind the stands right upon entry to the park through the box office.
There is a Petro’s stand on the first base side of the main concourse, as well as a few stands selling alcoholic beverages.
Atmosphere 5
Lindsey Nelson Stadium is a very well-kept venue. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is impressive to look at as well. While it may be obvious with its size, every seat in the house has a perfect view of the playing field.
Despite being slightly hidden among other cathedrals on campus such as Neyland Stadium or Thompson-Boling Arena, Lindsey Nelson is an objectively great place to watch a college baseball game.
Neighborhood 3
Tennessee, despite recent success on the diamond, is not and has never been a baseball school – that shows in Lindsey Nelson Stadium’s location on campus. Though a nice field, it seems to be in a forgotten corner of campus near the fraternities and train yard just beside the Tennessee river that slinks alongside nearby downtown Knoxville.
All that to say, Lindsey Nelson is slightly hard to miss upon first visit to the university. It’s a half mile to any restaurant in the area, as well as a decent walk to Cumberland Avenue, which is the main social spot on Tennessee’s campus.
The stadium is next to the football training field, less than a quarter mile south of Thompson-Boling Arena, as well as a half mile south of Neyland Stadium.
Fans 5
Tennessee was the No. 1 ranked team in the nation at the time of Stadium Journey’s visit. Vols fans are passionate and rowdy, even during a midweek game at the midpoint in the college baseball season. An overwhelming number of fans turn the main concourse of Lindsey Nelson Stadium into a sea of Orange for a normal weekend series against a fellow SEC counterpart.
Fans are often early for games, led by the student section which arrives near an hour early for most matchups, and are aptly named the, “Legends of Lindsey Nelson.”
Access 2
Especially as of late, Lindsey Nelson Stadium has had a bit of a parking problem. There are limited parking spots directly bordering the stadium and rates can reach as much as $10-20 in the immediate area of the park.
Traffic, be it because of campus residents or simply poor road layout, is often an obstacle on game days.
Arriving early and having a plan when parking is highly recommended. For those who don’t mind a walk, G-10 parking garage down the street a little under 3/4ths of a mile from Lindsey Nelson Stadium is a nice option for those looking to avoid the hassle.
Return on Investment 4
Lindsey Nelson Stadium might not be the largest baseball venue in the Southeastern conference, but overall enjoyment certainly does not take a hit. As mentioned above, the only real headache of the day rotates navigating your way to the stadium.
Not to mention, tickets are often cheap for what has become excellent production on the diamond to watch in recent seasons.
Extras 3
Tennessee painted a few baseball murals just outside the entrance to the stadium. There are plenty of nice places to take a picture during your visit to Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Buying gear and merchandise is a challenge – there are only a few stands selling Vols gear throughout the main concourse of the stadium. In total, one can walk around the entire field in less than five minutes.
Final Thoughts
Lindsey Nelson Stadium mirrors Knoxville in that it is easy to miss, but enjoyable and fulfilling nonetheless. It’s fanbase is passionate and it remains an excellent venue to watch America’s pastime.
Pay mind to your gameday preparations – make sure there’s a plan in place to traverse the UT Knoxville campus and a game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium will be a rewarding one.
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