Prior to having an on-campus baseball field, UT teams played at Chilhowee Park, Caswell Park, and Shields-Watkins Field. Lindsey Nelson Stadium opened February 23, 1993 (Tennessee 14, East Tennessee State 5), with a permanent seating capacity of 2,300 (696 chair-back seats and 1,614 bench seats and grandstands along the right field line).
In 1994 the space underneath the permanent seating area was renovated to include a spacious locker room for Vol players, a locker room for the coaching staff, an equipment room, a training room, a video room, a traditions room, a hitting tunnel, a mound, and a team lounge area. In 2004 new seating brought seating capacity to 4,000 and a state-of-the-art Daktronics ProStar 20-foot by 12-foot video board (video screen and scoreboard) was installed. The press box included radio booths for both home and visitor, a television broadcast booth, a VIP booth with padded theater-style seats, and a hospitality area.
Phase I of a $6 million upgrade to the stadium, begun in June 2007 and completed for the 2009 season, was made possible by a lead gift of $2 million from Robert M. Lindsay for the project. Phase I included an entirely new structure down the right field line, featuring a new team room, a new clubhouse, a new dressing room, a new weight facility, a new training room, and all-new permanent seats above that extending down the right field line, as well as coaches’ offices and new restrooms and concessions.
Phase II renovations were completed for the 2010 season and included the installation of 370 MVP Field Level seats designed to bring fans closer to the game. Located directly behind home plate, the seats feature chair-back seating with cup holders and access to an interior club room where fans can enjoy refreshments prior to and during the game. The phase also included construction of a playground above the new batting cages for children to enjoy during the game, as well as improvements to the visiting team locker room and a brick facade on the field interior. Future phases envisioned the construction of luxury suites, a new press box tower, a left field entrance plaza, and expanded permanent seating on the left field side.
The stadium is named for Lindsey Nelson (UT ’41), radio and television announcer of football games for UT, Notre Dame, and CBS television network and renowned broadcaster of baseball games of the New York Mets.