KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Neyland Stadium will host baseball for the first time since 1921 when the Savannah Bananas take the field this weekend.
The entertainment baseball team is playing two games in Knoxville. One at Covenant Health Park on May 21 and the second at Neyland Stadium on May 23.
University of Tennessee officials said planning for the event began over a year ago when the Bananas reached out about their football stadium tour.
“The bananas decided they wanted to go on a football stadium tour, and Neyland being Neyland was, of course, on a list,” said Alisha Longworth, deputy athletics director and chief marketing officer. “Visit Knoxville was really the one kind of wrangling those conversations, brought them to the table.”
Longworth said 100,000 people are expected at Neyland Stadium Saturday night. She said the event will benefit local businesses.
“When you put 100,000 people in Neyland Stadium, the economic impact for the entire city is great,” Longworth said. “It’s good for the local community. It’s good for hotels. It’s good for restaurants.”
The university expects many out-of-town visitors for the games. Officials said they will have additional staff on campus Saturday to help with directions and customer service.
The Bananas games and the recent Luke Combs concert have allowed the university to test new traffic patterns ahead of football season. Longworth said the university started a traffic study in the fall with Visit Knoxville, KPD, UTPD and other partners.
“These two events have given us unique opportunities that we are putting 100,000 people in our football stadium, so we can test some things out,” Longworth said.
She added the Luke Combs concert revealed that many attendees came from the east, particularly North Carolina, while most football season ticket holders come from the west and south.
The university grounds crew has spent more than three weeks transforming the football field into a baseball diamond. Longworth said one crew member, Darren, has a background in minor league baseball.
“You’ve got to bring in the clay, you’ve got to bring in the dirt, you’ve got to get the mound,” Longworth said. “Our grounds crew has been very busy for the last three plus weeks.”
She said Tennessee fans should not worry about the field condition for football season.
“Absolutely no worries,” Longworth said. “They have nothing to worry about. We will be ready for kickoff in the fall.”
Fans who have not pre-purchased parking are encouraged to use Park and Ride shuttles from the Civic Coliseum or Market Square area. Shuttles from the Coliseum cost $25 round trip.
The Ag Campus may have limited parking available, but Longworth said fans should be aware that Tennessee softball may play at 11 a.m. Saturday if the team advances in Super Regionals.
“If you haven’t pre-purchased parking, I would highly encourage the downtown area to park,” Longworth said.
The university will use the same safety protocols as football game days.
For those who don’t have tickets to the games, you can still stream the game live on the Savannah Bananas YouTube page.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.