Nashville Soccer Club announced Wednesday in conjunction with Major League Soccer that the club will be featured on opening night of the MLS is Back Tournament on Wednesday, July 8 by taking on Eastern Conference foe Chicago Fire FC, presented by Renasant Bank. Scheduled to kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT, the match will be nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes from the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla.

After the opening match against Chicago, Nashville SC will take on the Philadelphia Union, presented by Renasant Bank on July 14 at 7 p.m. CT on Univision (TUDN). The Boys in Gold will wrap up the group competition on July 20 against the host club Orlando City SC on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, also, presented by Renasant Bank in an 8 a.m. CT matchup.

Nashville SC was drawn as Team 6 in Group A of the MLS is Back tournament, which also features fellow 2020 Expansion Club Inter Miami CF and New York City FC.

Major League Soccer announced a change to the knockout stage qualifications in which the top three teams from Group A will now advance from the group stage. Only the top two teams from Group A were meant to advance originally. The format of the tournament will mirror a FIFA World Cup format with each team playing three group stage matches, and those results counting in the 2020 MLS Regular Season standings. Click here for more details on the competition.

Follow Nashville SC in its trip to Orlando and participation in the MLS Is Back Tournament by visiting www.NashvilleSC.com and the club’s social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

The Manchester Youth Baseball Association was in action on Thursday with a full slate of games at Fred Deadman Park.  All 5 age divisions were in action as the season reaches the halfway point.  

In the 6U division, Manchester Tire and Brake stopped Cooper Sports 21 to 7 and Star Physical Therapy squeaked past Lovelady Auto Parts 17 to 16.  In the first game, Manchester Tire and Brake raced out to an early lead as they improved to 6 and 0 on the season.  Jace Spencer had 3 home runs for MT&B while Owen Holder and Kasen Shelton each added 2 home runs.  Landon Cook had 2 doubles to lead Cooper.  In the 2^nd game, Star Physical Therapy needed to erase a 6 run deficit in their last at-bat to claim the win.  Laine Jones had a home run, a double and a single and scored 3 runs for Star.  For Lovelady, Kayde had a double and 2 singles and scored twice. 

In the 8U division, Freedom Automotive edged Dr. J 14 to 11 and KK’s downed Lions Club 23 to 9.  In the 1^st game, it was a battle of the top two teams in the division that saw 4 lead changes.  Trailing 11 to 8 entering the 6^th and final inning, Freedom plated 6 runs and then retired Dr. J in order in the bottom of the 6^th for the win.  Channing Gannon had 3 hits, including a 2 RBI double for Freedom.  For Dr. J’s, Starling, Abe and Kolton all had 3 hits and scored 3 runs.  In the 2^nd game, the 2 teams were tied at 6 after 1 inning before the KK’s defense slowed down the Lions Club.  Walker, Christian, Brandon and Kynx all had 3 hits and scored 3 runs for KK’s.   For Lions Club, Eli had 3 hits and scored 3 times. 

In the 10U division, Chico’s Bail Bands held off First National Bank 9 to 8.  The Chico’s bunch brought the “Bad News” to First National early as they built a 9 to 1 lead entering the 4^th inning.  First National made a valiant comeback attempt in the 4^th inning that came up short as the time limit expired.  Chico’s got a solo home run from Kaden Brewer and a double and a run scored from Christian Meadows to lead the way on offense.  Gavin Smith smacked a double and a triple with 1 RBI and Jake Holder stroked a 2 RBI double for First National.   

In the 12U division, Shelter Insurance shocked Powers Storage 9 to 5 and First Vision Bank stunned Bush Insurance 5 to 4.  In the opener, Shelter rallied from an early deficit to hand Powers their first loss of the season.  After Powers scored 4 runs in the 1^st inning, Shelter held them to 1 hit the rest of the game.   Ian Smith was the big hitter for Shelter as he had a home run and 2 doubles and scored 3 times.  Smith also got the win on the mound for Shelter.  Trevor Jesse had a double and single for Powers and scored twice.  In the nightcap, First Vision had to come from behind with 4 runs in the 3^rd inning to get the win.  Bryceton Bunch had a home run and got the win on the mound for First Vision.  Ethan Stephens had 3 singles for Bush while Elijah Vernon stroked a home run.

In the 18U division, the Christiana Braves clipped the Manchester Braves 7 to 3 and the Mets toppled the Manchester Braves 15 to 1. In the battle of the Braves, Manchester jumped out to a 1 to 0 lead in the first inning but Christiana plated 4 runs in the 2^nd inning to grab the lead and the win.  Smurz had a double and a single for Christiana.  Cole Bryce had a pair of doubles and an RBI while Jacob Sherrill added a single for Manchester.    In the final game of the night, the Mets banged out 8 hits while holding the Braves to a pair of singles on the night.  Brandon Jernigan belted a home run and a double for the Mets while Trenton Thompson and Timothy Henderson combined on the 2 hitter.  Harley Penn and Caleb Brewer each singled for the Braves. 

The pictures, material and information contained in this story may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, for commercial gain, without the express written consent of Coffee County Broadcasting.

By Mark Bowman – MLB.com

Ronald Acuña Jr. will not have enough time to make another bid for a 40-40 season in 2020, but the young superstar will have the chance to help the Braves win a third straight National League East title.

Thoughts of defending the division crown were rekindled Tuesday night, when Major League Baseball announced a return-to-play plan featuring a 60-game regular-season schedule.

Despite a different look and feel, there will still be room for the same excitement and optimism that existed before COVID-19 forced the sports world to stop back in March.

Here’s a look at some of the questions you might have about the Braves’ upcoming season:

Where will camp take place, and when?

The Braves’ camp will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta. Pitchers and catchers will arrive by July 1, while position players will report over the following few days. Teams will be permitted to bring 60 players to camp.

When and where is Opening Day?

The schedule has not yet been finalized, but we know the Braves will open the season on July 23 or 24.

Which teams will be on the schedule?

Atlanta’s 60-game schedule will include 40 games against its National League East opponents and 20 games against teams from the American League East. So the Braves will play the Nationals, Phillies, Mets and Marlins 10 times each, and they will also have four-game series against the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays and Rays.

What is the best the Braves did over a 60-game stretch?

Atlanta was 33-27 and a half-game back in the NL East through last year’s first 60 games. By comparison, the 1998 Braves started 42-18. That’s the best record produced through the first 60 games of a season in modern franchise history.

How are the Braves’ injured players doing?

Cole Hamels (left shoulder inflammation) might have been on the injured list through the end of May had the season started on time. The veteran southpaw has now recovered from that ailment and is projected to be on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. The 30-man roster that will be utilized at the start of the season will allow the Braves the option to limit Hamels and each of their other starters to three to four innings during their first few starts.

Freddie Freeman might be wise to avoid overdoing it like he did when Spring Training began in February. But all indications suggest he will not be bothered by the right elbow that significantly burdened him late last season.

What are some competitions to watch when camp resumes?

When camp abruptly ended in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, two of the primary roster questions focused on Félix Hernández and Austin Riley. Now, both are expected to be on the Braves’ 30-man Opening Day roster. The presence of Hernández, Sean Newcomb, Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint will allow Atlanta to limit the workloads of Hamels, Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz during the early part of the season.

As for Riley, the absence of a Minor League season erases the option to allow him to further develop at the Triple-A level. So now the question is whether to use him or Johan Camargo as the starting third baseman. Camargo is the better defensive option, but Riley’s power could create significant value in a variety of roles. If he’s not playing third base, he could be a top designated hitter option versus left-handed pitchers.

Who will serve as the DH?

There’s no longer reason to wonder how the Braves might find playing time for Nick Markakis. The presence of the DH this year will give manager Brian Snitker the option to use Markakis in that spot against right-handed pitchers. The veteran outfielder has produced a .823 OPS against righties over the past two seasons.

Riley and Adam Duvall are both intriguing options against left-handed pitchers. But given that Duvall is a much better defensive option than Marcell Ozuna, it may make the most sense to put Duvall in left field and utilize Ozuna as the designated hitter against lefties.

How will rosters be different? How will those changes affect my team?

Teams will open the season with a 30-man active roster, which will be reduced to 28 players after two weeks, then to 26 after four weeks. Carrying four additional players through the first two weeks will allow the Braves to protect Hamels and some of their other starters.

How can I listen?

Braves games will once again be broadcast on Thunder Radio as an affiliate of the Braves Radio Network or on the go with MLB Audio.

How can I watch the games?

Every Braves game will once again be available on FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Southeast. Out-of-market games can also be streamed live on MLB.TV on your favorite supported devices.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

The Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that they’ve discussed with Major League Baseball the possibility of hosting a league for unsigned big league players this year. 

The statement read:  “The Nashville Sounds Baseball Club has had discussions with Major League Baseball about the possibility of hosting games that would consist of free agents competing against each other at First Horizon Park this summer. We continue to have meaningful discussions with baseball officials and local health officials with hopes of baseball in Nashville in 2020.”

Sounds general manager Adam Nuse told Chris Harris of WSMV News 4 in Nashville that the hope is to host a 40-game season in compliance with Phase Four of the “Roadmap for Reopening Nashville.” Notably, unlike Major League Baseball, that would allow the Sounds to sell tickets and bring their stadium to 25 percent capacity. Phase Four of the city’s plan cannot commence until July 20 at the earliest. Under the scenario being discussed, the Sounds would hope to sign 40-plus players and field two teams that would play against each other. Players would report seven to ten days prior to the launch of Phase Four, hoping that the league would hit its target date for the launch of the next phase.

It’s a concept that hearkens back to the unofficial Spring Training camp for free agents prior to the 2018 season. The list of unsigned players isn’t currently as widespread as it was in that offseason when the MLBPA organized that setup, but when exploring the upcoming lift of the transaction freeze, there are still plenty of recognizable names without teams. Others could yet surface when the freeze lifts, as several veterans on minor league deals could opt out with their current clubs or simply be cut loose. The Sounds might not even end up being the only minor league club to take such measures. Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that MLB is expecting other clubs to explore similar endeavors.

The plan bears some similarity to independent ball, although if the Sounds succeed in luring enough former big leaguers or out-of-work upper-minors players, the quality of competition could be superior to that on the indie circuit. And while the money for players wouldn’t be overly enticing — The Athletic’s Jayson Stark tweeted that they’d be paid $400 per week — the league could serve as an extended showcase to allow teamless players to eventually find their way back onto a big league roster. Injuries will still pop up throughout the MLB season, and struggling players will be cut loose and replaced by taxi-squad players. Those taxi-squad spots would need to be back-filled.

It’s unclear at this point where MLB stands on the concept, but the Sounds seem committed to the idea regardless. Nuse told Harris that the team is hopeful of cooperating with Major League Baseball but is currently planning to stage the league with or without the league’s cooperation.

Thanks to WSMV and MLBTradeRumors.com for their help with this story.