Report: SEC negotiating extension to keep SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover through 2028

The SEC is deep in talks with the city of Hoover to keep the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium through at least the 2028 season, according to The Hoover Sun.

The website reports that the SEC has a proposed agreement with Hoover for the SEC Baseball Tournament to stay there for four more years, with one-year options for the 2029 and 2030 seasons, as well.

Parks and Recreation Director Erin Colbaugh reportedly told Hoover City Council about the agreement on Thursday. As part of the agreement, the city must reportedly make improvements to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium before next year’s SEC Baseball Tournament set for May of 2025.

Per The Hoover Sun, the stadium is set to receive $11 million worth of renovations.

The Hoover Sun also shared what exact renovations are planned, including redesigning and repaving a portion of the parking lot and adding a suite down the third base side of the concourse level. There will also reportedly be an outfield patio on the first base side of the field between the scoreboard and bullpen.

The latest renovations that are on the way will complete a three-phase set of renovations to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Per the report, $14 million in total were spent the previous two years, and the total project will cost approximately $25 million.

The SEC Baseball Tournament has been held in Hoover every year since 1998.

Southeastern Conference to adopt new 16-team SEC Baseball Tournament format in 2025

While the SEC Baseball Tournament is remaining in Hoover, some changes are on the way.

The Southeastern Conference has agreed on a new format for the SEC Baseball Tournament beginning in 2025, the first year that Oklahoma and Texas will join the league.

According to a press release, the league will have a 16-team tournament that will be single elimination. The top four seeds in the tournament will receive a double bye, while the teams seeded fifth through eighth will receive a single bye.

The new format will replace the previous format, which was a blend of single elimination and double elimination.

The new SEC Baseball Tournament format was approved by the league’s athletics directors in advance of the arrival of Oklahoma and Texas, which moved the league to 16 teams.

Though the SEC Tournament format will be changing in 2025, the regular season will still consist of 30 conference games for each team, with 10 three-game series played over the course of 10 weekends.

The new scheduling format will have each team facing two permanent opponents and eight rotating opponents on an annual basis, with no divisional format.