No SEC Baseball Tournament this year; Regions Tradition golf moved to fall
There won’t be any SEC Baseball Tournament coming to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium this year.
In fact, there won’t be any more SEC competitions this spring at all.
Conference officials today announced that all regular season conference and non-conference competitions are canceled for the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic year, including all remaining SEC championship events, due to continuing developments related to the new coronavirus.
Also, the PGA announced that the Regions Traditions golf tournament that was scheduled for May 6-10 at Greystone Golf and Country Club has been rescheduled for Sept. 23-27, still at Greystone.
SEC officials said that all spring football games also are canceled, and there will be no pro days conducted by SEC institutions.
"This is a difficult day for all of us, and I am especially disappointed for our student-athletes," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a written statement. "The health and well-being of our entire conference community is an ongoing priority for the SEC as we continue to monitor developments and information about the COVID-19 virus."
Sankey said the SEC Baseball Tournament has become the premier conference baseball tournament in the country in large part due to the great support of the city of Hoover and residents across the Birmingham area.
"We are disappointed we will not be able to conduct the tournament in 2020, but we look forward to coming back in a bigger and better way in 2021," he said.
Last year's tournament had a record estimated crowd of about 162,700 people, according to the SEC.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said "we know it will return to the Hoover Met next year, and we are committed to work to make it the best one ever ... Our country is facing difficult times, and therefore we are all facing difficult decisions, and this is one the (SEC) commissioner had to make."
Brocato said he is optimistic that the country’s leaders are doing everything they can to get ahead of this pandemic.
“I appreciate the aggressiveness of our president, our governor and our local health officials,” he said. “They’re having to make some incredibly difficult decisions. That’s the only way we’re going to get in front of it, and that’s the only way we’re going to return to normalcy.”
Other SEC athletics activities, including team and individual practices, meetings and other organized gatherings, whether required or voluntary, remain suspended through at least April 15.
“SEC member institutions will continue to provide their student-athletes with care and support to meet needs in areas including academics, medical care, mental health and wellness, nutrition and housing as needed,” the conference said.
The SEC, by March 31, will issue full refunds for tickets already purchased for the SEC Baseball Tournament and SEC Softball Tournament from the SEC office or a university in the conference.
As for the PGA, all PGA Tour tournaments scheduled through May 10 were either postponed or canceled. The Regions Tradition now will be the final major championship on the 2020 PGA Tour Champions schedule.
Regions Bank President and CEO John Turner said the bank is focused on the safety and health of it customers and associates.
“While our community rallies together, we also understand that events like the Regions Tradition are important in their economic impact to local businesses and in direct benefits to nonprofits," Turner said in a press release. "We are pleased to have been able to work with our partners and reschedule the Regions Tradition to later in the year to help ensure its impact can continue.”
Brocato said that tournament, which has provided more than $19 million for charities in its 28 years, has turned into one of the best senior tournaments in the country.
He’s glad the tournament will be coming back in the fall. “There’s good weather in the fall. That’s going to help make it a very successful event again,” Brocato said. “People are hungry for athletics and sporting events. I think we’ll see record crowds.”