Tennessee and Georgia Tech have agreed in principle to play a baseball game next spring at AT&T Field.

The matchup between the Vols and Yellow Jackets would be the first NCAA Division I contest in the history of AT&T Field, which became the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts in 2000. The former home of the Lookouts, Engel Stadium, hosted an annual game between Tennessee and Middle Tennessee State from 1997-99.

“I think it’s a fabulous matchup, and we’re very excited about it,” Lookouts owner Frank Burke said. “To bring that level of baseball and two teams of that caliber to Chattanooga is not the same as a major league exhibition, but it’s a tremendous event for here.”

The game has been tentatively set for May 6 at 7:15 p.m. That could be a busy day for Burke and his staff because the Lookouts host the Jacksonville Suns that afternoon at 12:15.

Georgia Tech leads the series with Tennessee, 45-33, and won the most recent meeting (8-5) early in the 2006 season. In 2005, Tennessee swept an NCAA Super Regional against the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta to advance to the College World Series.

Tennessee struggled to a 27-29 record this past spring under first-year coach Todd Raleigh, while Georgia Tech went 41-21. The Jackets lost in an NCAA regional final to eventual CWS runner-up Georgia.

“I think it would be great for us to take the Big Orange down to Chattanooga,” Raleigh said. “That’s an area we want to be visible in. We want to recruit that area. I think it’s going to be a great series between two great teams to bring down there. We’re not going to play 20 games like this every year, but I think Chattanooga is a great idea for us.”

Raleigh hopes the Tennessee-Georgia Tech game will be something the people of Chattanooga “can consistently count on.”

Burke did not disclose financial terms of the matchup. He plans to cook lobsters for both teams after the game and will make a donation to each school’s scholarship fund.

“I want people to remember their time in Chattanooga, even though it will be a brief time for both teams,” he said. “I think it will be a good thing all the way around.”

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