Even as the Florida Gators captured the 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament Championship with a 7-3 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday, officials from the city of Hoover and the Southeastern Conference had yet to begin negotiations about the future of the event.
But they will start soon.
The league’s current contract to hold the tournament at Hoover Met expires in 2016.
The scoreboard tells the story after a Southeastern Conference tournament college baseball game at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala., Friday, May 22, 2015. Vanderbilt won 16-1 in seven innings. (Mark Almond/ malmond@al.com)Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey told AL.com that the city has been waiting for Greg Sankey to officially take over as the SEC commissioner on August 1 before starting negotiations about a contract renewal.
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The event has been held at Hoover Met since 1998. This year’s overall attendance (132,178) was about 2,000 fans shy of 2013’s record attendance.
That success — along with the many upgrades to the stadium that have been made in recent years — is why Ivey said he sees no reason the contract with the SEC would not be renewed.
“I haven’t foreseen anything at this point [with regards to an extension with Hoover or a move to another venue],” Sankey told AL.com on Friday at tournament. “I have that luxury. We’ve had a great experience here. I think we’re having another great experience.”
FloridaOs Kirby Snead pitches to a LSU batter during a Southeastern Conference tournament semifinal college baseball game at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala., Saturday, May 23, 2015. Florida won 2-1. (Mark Almond/ malmond@al.com)In 2012 Hoover officials added a new sound system, big-screen TVs at the concession stands and upgraded the restrooms in the concourse.
Since then, much of the stadium has been repainted, the parking lot has been repaved, the bullpens have moved from the sidelines to behind the outfield fence, batting cages have been added and the fence on the field was moved in to more closely resemble the one at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, which hosts the College World Series.
Sankey was present for much of this year’s tournament, which featured 17 games and multiple 10,000-plus crowds over six days. The commissioner-select was even in the house until the final pitch of Wednesday’s game between Florida and Arkansas, which didn’t end until around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
Current view. Let’s play some nighttime baseball! pic.twitter.com/4zOYNkFMJs
— Greg Sankey (@gscantweet) May 21, 2015
“The field’s in great shape, the change in the fence is a little bit different, the (SEC) Network dynamic is new here,” Sankey said. “I think that’s really added a lot.”
The soon-to-be SEC commissioner was reluctant to speak on the future of the event, saying that, in June, the league will take some time to evaluate how this year’s SEC Baseball Tournament went and potential future options.
Mike Slive delivering the @SEC Championship game ball to home plate. 13 incredible years of leadership! Play ball!! pic.twitter.com/55jmxF8Wks
— Greg Sankey (@gscantweet) May 24, 2015
“We sit down after every event and we’ll go through as a staff the positives, and then, ‘Are there some areas for enhancement or improvement?'” Sankey explained. “Every event we’ve ever had you have to make adjustments. As we’ve worked with the city of Hoover and the Alabama Sports Foundation, we’ve brought issues to their attention over the years. They’ve been typically attentive – they changed bullpens and they enhanced the dugout steps.”
Ivey said he is sure the Birmingham-based SEC will look at other venues for its annual postseason tournament, but he remains optimistic that Hoover Met will remain its home.
Jon Anderson contributed to this report.
