Aztec Baseball looks to open its season in Scottsdale, Arizona with participation in the 3rd annual MLB4 Tournament, taking on Texas Christian University in the first game of the season.
All games will be hosted at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
The game will be featured on MLB Network following the contest between California and Houston. In addition to SDSU’s MLB Network debut, the network will also debut new broadcast technology for the first time.
Using a drone in the game production and telecast, MLB Network plans to incorporate different viewpoints into the telecast, including flyovers above the field, following a batter around the bases after a home run, highlighting the pitcher as he walks to and from the mound, as well as the interior and exterior views of Salt River Fields and complex.
The technology will be utilized in the double-header style broadcast which will include both the California vs. Houston and TCU vs. San Diego State matchups.
Play-by-Play will be provided by Stephen Nelson with game analysis from Dan O’Dowd, and Jim Callis.
In addition to the coverage of MLB4, MLB Network will also feature games from the Andre Dawson Classic — a tournament launched in 2008 to highlight Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their baseball programs.
Seven HBCU teams will be in attendance including Alabama State University (6th appearance), Florida A&M University (2nd appearance), Grambling State University (10th appearance), Jackson State University (1st appearance), Prairie View A&M University (7th appearance), Southern University (14th appearance), the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (4th appearance), and University of New Orleans (8th appearance, non-HBCU).
The games will be held both at the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy and Maestri Field at the University of New Orleans. Both the MLB4 and the Andre Dawson Classic tournaments will be highlighted through live features broadcast by MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com.
