Major League Baseball is getting countrified this year — and not just because Zac Brown Band will be singing ‘Chicken Fried’ at the State Farm Home Run Derby on July 9. At the main event on July 10, Luke Bryan will take the stage at the MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City to sing the National Anthem minutes before the umpire shouts, “Play ball!” During the seventh-inning stretch, fellow country star Kellie Pickler will perform ‘God Bless America’ from the field.

The MLB All-Star game is an American-born event which includes the Home Run Derby and the actual All-Star Game, where the National League stars will face off against American League favorites.

The night before Bryan and Pickler’s patriotic performances, Zac Brown Band will provide good, old-fashioned country tunes before the Derby. Missouri native David Cook will also be on hand that to provide musical entertainment.

If you haven’t been able to get out and catch any live country performances this summer, you can make up for it by tuning in to All-Star Game festivities next week. The Home Run Derby will air on ESPN on July 9, followed by the All-Star Game on Fox on July 10, where you can spot both Bryan and Pickler.

More From KLAW-FM