Student and alumni veterans and others are invited to the Veteran Alumni Tailgate and Baseball Game starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8.

MTSU student veterans, vets who graduated from MTSU, ROTC graduates and currently serving ROTC, family members and veterans in the community and their families are invited to attend by the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center.

The tailgate and 4 p.m. baseball game between the Blue Raiders and visiting Old Dominion are a way for the Daniels Center to host and feed veterans and their families, and then provide complimentary tickets to a fun event.

The tailgate will be held on the second level concourse, an area facing the baseball field, in Floyd Stadium.

Dr. Hilary Miller

Hilary Miller, director of the Daniels Center, said they are excited to host their second such event.

“The goal of this event is to welcome home our graduated veterans and connect them to our current student-veterans,” Miller said “We hope veterans from the community will join us as well. It is important that our current veterans are connected to those who live in this community. And, of course, we want to watch great baseball, eat barbecue and it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

Miller added they are excited the Department of Athletics has loaned them space in the football stadium overlooking the baseball field — giving it a skybox feel — for the tailgate.

Before the first pitch, everyone will be invited to walk onto the field for the national anthem. This includes family members and any veterans who graduated from Old Dominion.

During pregame festivities, Spc. Regina Thomas of the Tennessee Army National Guard will be recognized and throw out the first pitch.

An MTSU alumna, Thomas joined the National Guard in 2014 after earning her MTSU degree. During her time in the Army, Thomas was chosen for an overseas operation in Bulgaria and was also awarded an Army Achievement Medal for performing tasks above her rank while on orders at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Thomas graduated with a degree in business management, with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. She is the general manager at Jimmy Johns in Smyrna, Tennessee, and has plans to further her military career by attending officer candidate school.

At MTSU, Thomas was a member of the Blue Raider soccer team and played a key role in the program’s first conference championship as well as the program’s first- ever NCAA tournament appearance.

To RSVP for the tailgate or for more information, call 615-904-8347.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)