Strider (3-8) was scratched after the inaugural rain delay. He is a Knoxville native and a graduate of Christian Academy of Knoxville. Burns, a native of Gallatin, Tennessee, pitched for Tennessee from 2022-23 before transferring to Wake Forest. He was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Reds in the 2024 MLB draft.

While the NFL hasn’t returned to Thunder Valley since 1961, it’d be a surprise if MLB never came back. But the inaugural Speedway Classic certainly produced some growing pains to learn from. This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB’s Speedway Classic Was a Smudged Love Letter to the South.

Chase Burns is the projected starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds against the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Speedway Classic on Aug. 2.