SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Springfield Cardinals home opener is on April 7, but there\u2019s a home game at Hammons Field Monday night. They will be taking on their Major League partner, the St. Louis Cardinals.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the first time the teams have faced off in Springfield, but it is the first in almost 10 years. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really interesting to see St. Louis come back,\u201d said Steve Granado, the Manager of Public Relations and Digital Marketing for the Springfield Cardinals, \u201cbecause it\u2019s 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\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s getting the new season started in a big way, and it\u2019s just a preview for other exciting things coming to Hammons Field this year\u2014like more promotional nights and giveaways than ever before. <\/p>\n
The goal of it all is to bring rejuvenated energy and excitement to the ballpark. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just a game that\u2019s coming up next year,\u201d Granado said, \u201cand now that we\u2019re 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\u2019s like baseball is right here. To be able to have that here in our home ballpark already, it\u2019s really exciting, and it\u2019s really fun. It gets the juices flowing again for all of us who are ready for the full grind of a whole season.\u201d <\/p>\n
The event is even bigger because the Springfield Cardinals are coming to Hammons Field as reigning champions. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe St. Louis of it all is really just the icing on the cake,\u201d said Granado. \u201cWe are welcoming back the 2025 champions, and a lot of the guys that were on that team in 2025, we\u2019re anticipating to be here on Monday, so that\u2019s really cool to be the first people welcoming that team back is also going to be playing against St. Louis. It\u2019s a win all around.\u201d <\/p>\n
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<\/a>. <\/p>\n If you can\u2019t make it in person, you can watch the game at 6 p.m. on the Ozarks CW.<\/p>\n