The SEC Baseball Tournament
- Where: Hoover Met
- When: May 20-25
- Web: welcometohoover.com, hooveralabama.gov
The upcoming Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is not just a major sporting event. It’s a celebration of the history, growth and transformation of Hoover, Alabama, into a thriving city and regional destination.
Since its opening in 1988, The Hoover Met has been a major part of the community’s increasingly vibrant identity and landscape.
Originally built to accommodate minor league baseball and later high school football, the stadium’s most notable claim to fame has been its role as the home of the SEC Baseball Tournament. The Hoover Met’s relationship with the SEC Baseball Tournament began in 1996 and has endured for nearly three decades, becoming permanent in 1998.
The Hoover Met has been the site of some of the most exciting, historic moments in college baseball, and many great players — including future Major League Baseball stars — have worn their cleats on that field. Each year, these talented competitors know that the Road to Omaha, home of the College World Series, comes through Hoover, Alabama.
Over the years, the stadium has undergone significant upgradesthat have elevated the gamedayexperience for fans and players alike, such as modernized seating, luxury suites, enhanced fan amenities and astate-of-the-art scoreboard.
The growth in Hoover reaches into the surrounding area developing into a dynamic, prosperous community anchored with neighborhoods, restaurants, medical services and more.
The Hoover Met Complexalso boasts such communityattractions as The Finley Center(a 155,000-square-foot hub forindoor sports tourism), the ExplorePlayground, and the RV Park.
Developments such as Hoover High School, Stadium Trace, Knox Square, Blackridge and Lake Wilborn have played an important part in the city’s growth by offering a neighborhood that attracts visitors, new residents and new businesses.
Hoover has also created exciting outdoor recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike to enjoy such green and blue spaces as the Black Creek Mountain Bike Park and the canoe launch at Flemming Park on the banks of the Cahaba River.
What once was rural, undeveloped land has transformed over the years into a nexus of business, retail, dining, entertainment, athletic competition, education, residential spaces andoutdoor recreation. It’s a beautiful balance of natural beauty, family fun, community development and modern conveniences.
The Hoover Met serves as a symbol of change, a catalyst for the Hoover we see today, and the SEC Baseball Tournament stands as an annual extravaganza where visitors, sports fans, residents and businesses can rejoice in the city’s successful transformation.
Whether you watched Michael Jordan take the field in 1994 with the Barons, cheered high school football under the Friday night lights or wore your favorite college team’s colors each May — your presence has been part of Hoover’s increasing cultural and economic impact.
Join us for five days of unforgettable moments, rich baseball culture and spirited competition. Support your community and support your local businesses by being a part of this year’s SEC Baseball Tournament — it just means more for Hoover.
Make your plans now for theSEC tournament by going online to welcometohoover.com.
Don’t forget the Regions Tradition on May 14-18 at Greystone Golf & Country Club — head over to regionstradition.com for more information.
For all things happening in Hoover, go online to hooveralabama.gov.
