Country star Eric Church will perform the national anthem when the Tampa Bay Rays return home to Tropicana Field on April 6.The team announced Sunday that the award-winning singer-songwriter will help mark the occasion after spe nding much of last season on the road due to hurricane damage. Rays CEO Ken Babby said the performance is part of celebrating the teams long-awaited return to its home stadium.Church, a seven-time ACM Award winner and four-time CMA Award winner, recently released his album Evangeline vs. The Machine. His 2024 song Darkest Hour dedicated all publishing royalties toward hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina.The singer has not performed in the Tampa Bay area since 2021, when he sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl. He will also play in Tampa on April 11 as part of his Free The Machine Tour.RELATED: Rays sell out Monday home opener ahead of long-awaited Tropicana Field return ...read more read less