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.

Former Tennessee pitcher Chase Burns will start for the Reds in the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. Here’s how the Tennessee native’s rapid rise continues on a national stage.

The first MLB Speedway Classic, a regular-season game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds played on the infield of a NASCAR speedway, will mark the league’s first time ever playing a game in Tennessee and it’s set to break the MLB’s single-game attendance record.