AN INTRODUCTION

BY: MATTHEW PRESLAR

Allow me to introduce myself and tell you why I started the Ballpark Adventures website and blog. My name is Matthew and I live just east of Charlotte, NC. Simply put, I am a baseball lover. I am 33 years old and played baseball through high school. Since then, I have been involved in baseball in many ways. I have coached high school and legion baseball and shared the field with many college and professional players, past and present, including a World Series MVP. Once life presented me opportunity to profit from my love of baseball, I went the umpiring route. I have been a highly sought after and respected umpire for local Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, and Little League associations. Starting next year, I plan to umpire school games.
 
After my seasons concluded in 2017, I knew I wanted to see the new SunTrust Park. My wife, Rebecca, and I planned the trip and saw two Cubs games in Atlanta in mid July. On our way down, we also caught a Gwinnett Braves games featuring the recently promoted Ronald Acuna. We loved the G-Braves, the Atlanta Braves, and the new digs of SunTrust. Little did we know, this began the craziest baseball tour I have ever heard. All told, we visited seven minor league parks over the next five weeks and developed a passion for sharing our great experiences with others. ​

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In July of 2017, my wife and I were vacationing and our stop was East Tennessee — and I wanted to see more minor league baseball! The Johnson City Cardinals were too far from where we were staying. The Tennessee Smokies were out of town. Our best option took us to the campus of Tusculum College, home of the Appalachian League’s Greeneville Astros. The local flair was as evident here as any baseball location I have ever been. Case in point, during the seventh inning stretch, hardly anybody sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, which we found quite unusual. Immediately after, though, banjo picking hit the speakers and the entire crowd went crazy to “Rocky Top” and my wife and I stood by laughing at the site unfolding before our eyes. It was there, in the heart of Tennessee, that a recreational outing birthed a hobby, which birthed a new way of life. We realized this is something we had to experience, compare, and enjoy. My wife’s love to travel came together with my love of baseball. Together, we can get out and hit the open road, back road or interstate, and see our country’s beauty through baseball.