SEC opens up more tickets for baseball tournament, changes mask policy

SEC baseball fans have another chance to get in on the action at the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament because conference officials have changed their minds and opened up more seating than originally planned.

Initially, the SEC was going to limit capacity at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium to 50%, but then tickets for the whole tournament sold out within about 12 hours of going on sale on May 12, officials said.

The combined high demand for tickets, improvement in public health conditions and a decision by the NCAA to allow full capacity at its events spurred SEC officials to rethink their stance, said Gene Hallman, president and CEO of the Bruno Event Team, which manages the logistics of the tournament for the SEC.

Single-session tickets went on sale Saturday, May 22, after the conclusion of the last game of the SEC baseball regular season.

The SEC has not indicated a specific number of tickets that will be sold or the percentage of seats in the stadium the conference will allow to be filled. Instead, SEC officials will monitor ticket sales and actual attendance and evaluate capacity levels as the tournament proceeds, Hallman said.

“It’s not going to be 100%,” Hallman said. “They’re still going to be prudent. They’re still going to be cautious.”

All seats at the tournament this year are reserved seats; there will be no general admission seating, Hallman said. In previous years, bleacher seating was general admission.

See the tournament schedule here.

Seeds 5-12 will play in a single-elimination format on the opening day of the tournament, Tuesday, May 25, followed by traditional double-elimination play Wednesday through Friday. The tournament will return to single-elimination play on Saturday, and the championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 30. A total of 17 games will be played throughout the tournament.

Single-session reserved tickets will sell for $24 and can be purchased at secticketoffice.com or 877-332-7804.

Also, a limited number of tickets will be made available at the gate for each session of the tournament. The Hoover Met box office opens at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Also, the SEC has changed its stance regarding mask requirements. Initially, the SEC was going to require everyone to wear face coverings when entering and exiting the stadium and when in public spaces such as the concourses, restrooms and concession lines, and fans would be “encouraged” to wear face coverings when seated.

But, following new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now anyone who has received the COVID-19 vaccine will not have to wear a mask at all, Hallman said. However, anyone who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine still is expected to wear a face covering when entering and exiting the stadium and when in non-seated public spaces such as concourses, restrooms and concession lines, the SEC said.

Of course, people will be on the “honor system” regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, Hallman said.

For more information about the 2021 SEC Baseball Tournament, go to secsports.com/article/11037437/championship-baseball.

Editor's note: This article was updated slightly at 3:50 p.m. on Sunday, May 23.