Winning makes a difference. One of my educational stops was UTK and during my time there, baseball attendance was minimal to almost sparse. Lindsey Nelson Stadium is actually a pretty poor facility and the fan experience was pitiful vs. peers. Some of the complaints hovered around large areas of bench seating, poor drainage, old plumbing, poor amenities, and wasted sightlines. Recently, UTK athletics made a few superficial upgrades to the baseball complex but I believe a complete overhaul has been promised in return for success and coaching stability. However, those inadequacies can be masked if you have a great team on the field. The Knoxville Regional was a good example. Not much has changed in regards to the facility but the team started winning which in turn drew huge crowds and amplified the atmosphere. When you are winning, the bench seating and poor amenities become tolerable.
I was at the 2019 AU/UTK baseball series at Plainsman Park and several UTK fans offered compliments about the parking and overall feel of the complex; however, when comparing to our SEC baseball and softball peers our facilities are starting to look rather simplistic/minimal and maybe even high school level. I remember when Plainsman Park was pretty much a high fence and metal bleachers and the transformation was amazing. Might be time for a revisit.
