The Nashville Sounds have released their tentative Opening Day roster prior to their first game on Tuesday (May 4) against the Toledo Mud Hens.

The Triple A affiliate for the Milwaukee Brewers will feature the organizations top prospects as well as some veteran talent led by manager Rick Sweet.

The Sounds have four players in MLB Pipelines Top 30 Milwaukee prospects. They include catcher Mario Feliciano (No. 5), left-handed pitcher Aaron Ashby (No. 7), outfielder Corey Ray (No. 24) and left-handed pitcher Clayton Andrews (No. 25). Feliciano and Ray both recently made their Major League debuts with the Brewers.

Players with Major League experience include Infielder Dee Strange-Gordon, who is MLB’s active leader in stolen bases with 333, pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Ray Black, Blaine Hardy, Hoby Milner and Chad Sobotka, infielder Zach Green and outfielder Dustin Peterson. Of the 10 players with Major League experience, only Black, Feliciano, Ray and Sobotka have played for the Brewers.

Out of the roster, Alvarez is the only player to have spent previous time with the Sounds. The Florida native pitched in 32 games with Nashville in 2015 and 2016.

The rest of Nashville’s pitching staff include right-handers Luke Barker, Jesús Castillo, Bubba Derby, Thomas Jankins and Miguel Sánchez, and left-hander Quintin Torres-Costa.

Other position players include catcher Brent Diaz, infielders Luis Castro, Chad Spanberger and Jamie Westbrook, and outfielder Weston Wilson.

Mitchell Tenpenny

Country recording artist Mitchell Tenpenny has announced he is joining Music City Baseball’s Music Industry Advisory Board.

In the music video of Tenpenny’s latest hit “Bucket List,” he’s shown rocking his vintage “Nashville Stars” jersey, which pays homage to the legendary Negro Leagues teams who played in Nashville in the 1940s prior to the integration of Major League Baseball.

“Growing up in Nashville, it’s always been a dream to have a Major League team here. This city is perfect for it. I am excited to get involved and actively pursue this item on my bucket list,” says Tenpenny.

“Having a Nashville native on our team is really important to us because we want the Nashville Stars to be deep rooted in the community. Mitchell knows the city like the back of his hand and has a passion for baseball. We are honored to be included in his music video and look forward to having him join our team,” says John Loar, Managing Director of Music City Baseball.

Tenpenny joins entertainment icons Justin Timberlake, Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Bobby Bones and Luke Combs, among others, in providing strategic counsel and generating community excitement around Nashville being home to a Major League Baseball team.

Jeff Hem. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

The Nashville Sounds have announced a multi-year partnership with ESPN 94.9 FM to be the team’s flagship station, which includes the broadcast of all 120 games during the 2021 season.

Jeff Hem will handle the play-by-play duties for all broadcasts in his ninth season as the “Voice of the Sounds.” Hem’s broadcasts will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled first pitch with a pre-game show and will conclude with a 15-minute post-game show.

“We’re very excited to rejoin the ESPN Radio family here in Nashville,” said Sounds General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Adam Nuse. “The return of Nashville Sounds baseball has been long-awaited, and we’re thrilled to have our broadcasts heard near and far on ESPN 94.9.”

ESPN 94.9, the sister station of ESPN 102.5 The Game has a strong broadcast reach throughout Middle Tennessee and is simulcast on 95.1 FM in Rutherford County and worldwide on The Game Nashville streaming app.

“We’re absolutely thrilled about our new partnership with the Nashville Sounds,” says VP/Market Manager Dennis Gwiazdon. “The addition of professional baseball to our existing coverage of the Nashville Predators, Nashville SC, Vanderbilt and MTSU men’s football and basketball further cements our mission to be Nashville’s best sports talk station. Let’s play ball!”

In addition to the ESPN 94.9 airwaves, fans can catch all broadcasts on www.nashvillesounds.com, the MiLB First Pitch app, and The Game Nashville’s streaming app.

Charley Pride. Photo: Ben De Rienzo

The Texas Rangers are paying tribute to Charley Pride, dedicating its new spring training baseball field to the late country icon.

The newly named Charley Pride Field in Surprise, Arizona honors the lifelong Rangers fan who in 2010 became a partial owner of the MLB team. Pride passed away on December 12, 2020 from complications due to COVID-19.

“The Rangers have been honored to have Mr. Pride be a part of the team’s ownership group for the last ten years. A longtime resident of this area, he was a regular at home games when his schedule permitted… Mr. Pride was a true gentleman, and we will never forget the lasting contributions he has made to the Texas Rangers organization,” the Texas Rangers said in a statement in December.

Introducing Charley Pride Field!

You are greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/v46HyO2EQ3

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 14, 2021

The Country Music Hall of Fame member spent seven years as pitcher between 1953 and 1960, playing for the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons. He was named to the Negro league All-Star team in both 1956 and 1957.

In one of his final performances, Pride sang the National Anthem in July 2020 at the first-ever baseball game played at the Rangers’ new Globe Life Field in Arlington, although the stadium was empty due to COVID-19 restrictions.