SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Springfield Cardinals home opener is on April 7, but there’s a home game at Hammons Field Monday night. They will be taking on their Major League partner, the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s not the first time the teams have faced off in Springfield, but it is the first in almost 10 years.
“It’s really interesting to see St. Louis come back,” said Steve Granado, the Manager of Public Relations and Digital Marketing for the Springfield Cardinals, “because it’s how this organization started back in 2005 when the team came here for a couple of games and saw this place packed right from the beginning. Cardinal Nation came out right away, and they’ve shown that support for over 20 years here in the Ozarks. To be able to circle back around to that and do it again in 2026 is really exciting.”
It’s getting the new season started in a big way, and it’s just a preview for other exciting things coming to Hammons Field this year—like more promotional nights and giveaways than ever before.
The goal of it all is to bring rejuvenated energy and excitement to the ballpark.
“It was just a game that’s coming up next year,” Granado said, “and now that we’re getting to it, we feel it here at the ballpark, especially with the sun coming out and the weather getting better, spring training coming to an end, the World Baseball Classic ending, it’s like baseball is right here. To be able to have that here in our home ballpark already, it’s really exciting, and it’s really fun. It gets the juices flowing again for all of us who are ready for the full grind of a whole season.”
The event is even bigger because the Springfield Cardinals are coming to Hammons Field as reigning champions.
“The St. Louis of it all is really just the icing on the cake,” said Granado. “We are welcoming back the 2025 champions, and a lot of the guys that were on that team in 2025, we’re anticipating to be here on Monday, so that’s really cool to be the first people welcoming that team back is also going to be playing against St. Louis. It’s a win all around.”
The game starts at 6:05 p.m., but the festivities start early. The park will be open starting at 2:30 p.m., so you can watch batting practice and gear up for the game. Ticketing information can be found here.
If you can’t make it in person, you can watch the game at 6 p.m. on the Ozarks CW.
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