The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the City of Hoover signed an agreement today to hold the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium through at least 2028.

The agreement allows the SEC the choice of exercising more extensions to conduct the tournament at the Met in 2029 and 2030.

“This partnership works because of a mutual respect, shared goals and a commitment to putting on a top notch event together.”

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato

Host of the SEC Tournament since 1998

Hoover has hosted the SEC Baseball Tournament since 1998. The event has shattered attendance records over the past two years.

2024 — 180,004
2023 — 171,288

In addition to the big crowds, an SEC team has won six of the past seven national championships in Omaha (the 2020 series was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

“The SEC Tournament has become one of the premier events in college baseball and the Hoover Met is a special venue for our fans. We look forward to continuing a positive relationship with the City of Hoover as the home of our baseball tournament.

Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner

Hoover has committed $24M in improvements

The City of Hoover is committing up to $24 million in improvements to the stadium. Mayor Brocato provided a list of the upgrades during the signing ceremony. They include:

Renovated the lower level locker rooms and places for the umpire
New media room
Enhanced plaza and entrance
Parking lot improvements
Replacement of all chair back seats
Hospitality clubhouse along the third baseline
Hospitality patio behind right field fence
ADA compliant ramps

The agreement comes just in time for Hoover to welcome two new SEC members with storied baseball histories — Texas and Oklahoma. The tournament has also changed to a 16-team, single-elimination format. Tickets will go on sale in March at SECsports.com.

Have you attended the SEC Baseball Tournament? Tell us your favorite memory on social media and don’t forget to tag us at @bhamnow!