Nats to play Red Sox at Naval Academy on April 1, Nationals Park on March 31

The Washington Nationals are excited to announce they will play the Boston Red Sox in an exhibition game on Saturday, April 1 at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. As part of a new three-year agreement, the Nationals will hold one exhibition game at the Naval Academy through 2019. The Nationals' opponent for the games in 2018 and 2019 will be determined at a future date.

Tickets for this special game are not available to the public. The Nationals and Red Sox will distribute complimentary tickets to Naval Academy midshipmen, as well as select members of the U.S. Navy. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

"One of the Nationals' core community platforms is to support the military, which we do through a variety of initiatives, including our in-game Salute to Service, Military Branch Days, and visits by players and coaches to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center," said Mark D. Lerner, principal owner and vice chairman of the Washington Nationals. "It will be an honor for our players and coaches to take part in these games at the Naval Academy, in front of the brave men and women who have committed to serve our country."

This year's game is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be played at Max Bishop Stadium, home of the Naval Academy's baseball team.

"We're really excited about this partnership with the Washington Nationals to have the opportunity to showcase the Naval Academy on a national stage," said Vice Admiral Walter E. "Ted" Carter Jr., 62nd superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.

"As a team that has had a number of players who served in the Navy in two world wars, most notably Ted Williams, we are honored to be part of this special exhibition at the Naval Academy and to play in front of hundreds of midshipmen," said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. "And given our deep commitment to caring for veterans in all service branches through our Home Base program, we welcome the opportunity to share what we've learned in combating 'the invisible wounds of war.' We can think of no better way to take us into the 2017 season."

In addition to the game in Annapolis, the Nationals will host an exhibition game against the Red Sox on Friday, March 31 at Nationals Park. The game will start at 4:05 p.m., and tickets go on sale at 12:00 p.m. on February 9 at nationals.com/tickets. All Nationals Season Plan Holder packages already include one exhibition ticket for each seat in the plan. Plan holders can access these tickets starting in early March at nationals.com/access. For more information about becoming a Nationals Season Plan Holder visit nationals.com/natsplus. All gates will open for Friday's game at 2:30 p.m.