After months of spring training in Arizona, Knoxville Smokies players walked into their new downtown stadium just after sunset April 1 and walked away with one common theme: This is the nicest venue they have ever played in.
"It feels like getting called up to the big leagues," said Hayden McGreary, a returning infielder for the Smokies.
There wasn't just one aspect of the stadium that stood out, he told Knox News during a media availability the following afternoon. Every single detail of Covenant Health Park was jaw-dropping.
"Shock and awe," he said about walking into the stadium for the first time. "Just pure shock. Obviously, hearing about it and seeing pictures on Instagram, you kind of get an idea of what to expect. Shattered. It absolutely blew it away."
Yes, the stadium in Kodak was beautiful, the players said. The picturesque Smokies mountain landscape spoke for itself. But this Smokies stadium feels like the real deal.
Knoxville is a sports town, and Smokies are ready to be part of it
Knoxville is a die-hard sports town and, more recently, a die-hard baseball town after Tennessee won the College World Series last season.
"They're used to good baseball," manager Lance Rymel, who played for the Smokies in 2013, said about Knoxville sports fans. "Hopefully, we can provide that same type of energy and focus and just good times out in the ballpark."
Seeing the facilities and opportunities provided to the 2025 Smokies team is almost indescribable, Rymel said before the team took the field for its first-ever practice at the new stadium April 2. All Rymel wanted to do was lay in the grass and take in the magnitude of the moment.
"This is top notch," Rymel said. "Randy Boyd and that group did a great, great job here with the stadium."
Smokies players soak in the moments and share them with family
Red and blue lights illuminated the stadium when the team walked in for the first time, infielder Frankie Scalzo said. They had just gotten off their flight from Arizona, and the stadium was their first stop.
The overlooking condos and apartments, along with the 7,000-person capacity, makes it feel like the "big leagues," he said. His comments echoed those made by McGreary, who took a video of everything at the stadium − the field, the stands, the scoreboard, the clubhouse. He wanted his family and his fiancé to see it all.
Will Sanders will be the Opening Day starting pitcher April 15. He played baseball for the University of South Carolina, so his relationship with the Knoxville is complicated.
"I used to also play University of Tennessee, so I don't like it because they would always beat us," he said. "But I like Knoxville."
Get ready for Smokies opening day at Covenant Health Park
The stadium, located at 500 E. Jackson Ave., took more than two years to build and was priced at $114 million dollars. It's lined with outward facing restaurant and retail spaces along East Jackson Avenue, though the Smokies team store is the only ...
