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Photo by Jon Anderson
Joey Jones of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, shows his Tennessee pride during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Championship at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Shane Boudreaux of Westlake, Louisiana, grabs some snacks during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Fans watch the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Bryson Loe, left, and Jacob Brister of Brandon, MIssissippi, cheer for their LSU Tigers at the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey presents the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament championship trophy to the Tennessee Vols at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Young men take a break in the big SEC chair at the SEC Fanfest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. From left are Alex Frymark, Gavin Lawley and Jackson Conboy.
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Hoover City Forester Colin Conner hands out free water to fans at the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Tennessee takes a turn at bat during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Tennessee fans celebrate winning the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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The Tennessee Vols celebrate winning the the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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The Tennessee Vols and LSU Tigers shake hands after the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
LSU fans cheer during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People take part in activities at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Young men play ping pong at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People sit on the grassy area next to right field during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Thurston Farrar of Franklin, Tennessee, grabs some chicken fingers and hot dogs at the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People sit in premium seating areas next to right field during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Alex Gamel paints the face of 7-year-old Wyatt Rich at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People sit in the air-conditioned SEC FanFest area during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Boys throw balls at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Kenna Ledet, 8, of Larose, Louisiana, focuses intently on a ball in the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Fans enter Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024, for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People play sand volleyball at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Todd Odom of Columbus, Mississippi, walks outside the Finley Center during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Kids play video games at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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LSU fans boo what they consider to be a bad call during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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The bracket for the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament is posted on a wall at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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People walk outside the Finley Center during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Fans sit and stand in the grassy area next to right field during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Fisher Welch, 6, cheers for the LSU Tigers while sitting on the head of his dad, Jacob Welch of Seminary, Mississippi, during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A fan checks out merchandise for sale at the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 people turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey presents the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament most valuable player trophy to Tennessee's Blake Burke after the Vols won the championship game at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Tennessee fans celebrate winning the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Tennessee fans celebrate winning the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Tennessee pitcher Aaron Combs prepares for a pitch in the ninth inning of the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Fans sit in the grassy area just off left field at the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Foster Dudley and Callaway Clark of Hoover, Alabama, play ping pong at the SEC FanFest during the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
The Tennessee Volunteers, who came into the SEC Baseball Tournament as the top seeded-team, walked out of Hoover Metropolitan Stadium still on top Sunday, besting the LSU Tigers 4-3 in the championship game.
And both the SEC and the city of Hoover scored a victory with record attendance of 180,004 people over six days. The previous record attendance was last year with 171,288 people.
Tennessee started its week with a 13-4 loss to Vanderbilt Wednesday after getting a bye on day one of the tournament. On Thursday, the Vols got back in the swing of things with a 7-4 win over Texas A&M, knocking the Aggies out of the tournament.
Then on Friday, Tennessee knocked out Mississippi State with a 6-5 victory, followed by a 6-4 win over Vanderbilt in a rematch in the semifinals Saturday.
On Sunday, the Vols led most of the game and went into the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead. But the Tigers made it interesting in the ninth, scoring two runs and getting the tying run on second before the closing pitcher for Tennessee, Aaron Combs, struck the final two batters out to end the game.
This was Tennessee’s fifth time to win the SEC Baseball Tournament, with other wins coming in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2022.
Photo by Jon Anderson
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey presents the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament championship trophy to the Tennessee Vols at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Sunday’s championship game drew 15,686 people, the second most attended SEC tournament game ever. The average attendance per game for the week was a record 10,588 people, according to the SEC.
“I think the tournament went as well or better than any tournament we’ve ever had,” said Herb Vincent, associate commissioner for communications for the SEC. “The weather was great to start with. Nobody can control that, but that helps. But the support of the city of Hoover from day one – it just gets better every year. Having that kind of community support makes a difference. It’s noticed by the schools because they say it to us. They know the commitment that’s been made by the city and the people here to keep this stadium up and keep it state-of-the-art.”
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato called it a remarkable week.
“A lot of people worked really hard to get the atmosphere and make sure the customer service level is up to par,” Brocato said. “What’s really kind of interesting to me is that Alabama and Auburn – neither team was here other than Alabama being here for one game, but we set the all-time record for SEC baseball. So that speaks well for the city of Hoover – all of the fans in the SEC. I think it shouts loudly how much they love coming to Hoover.”
The mayor said the $11 million renovation to the outside of the stadium this past year helped create an environment that was fun and exciting.
“I saw more tailgating than I’ve ever seen,” Brocato said. “We’ve got sidewalks that run the length of the stadium now, and people can walk to the different restaurants, the brewery and get ice cream, set up their tents.”
The city redesigned and repaved the portion of the parking lot directly in front of the stadium and down the third base side and added new lights and islands in the parking lot, as well as a new entryway to the stadium itself.
The roof on the stadium also was repainted a royal blue color, and the media room was renovated with better lighting and technology for cameras and microphones, Hoover City Administrator Ken Grimes said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
A crowd of 15,686 turned out for the championship game of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Brocato said the city is grateful for its partnership with the SEC. “We pay attention to them. We listen to them,” he said. “We work with them, and we invest where we need to invest and where they think we need to invest to keep making this a better tournament each and every year.
This was the final year on the contract between the SEC and the city of Hoover, but a one-year extension was granted to bring the tournament back to Hoover in 2025.
Brocato said the city will start immediately on the next phase of renovations, which are expected to cost $11 million as well.
That will include a redesign and repaving of the rest of the parking lot that extends over to the Finley Center and a variety of improvements inside the stadium, City Administrator Ken Grimes has said.
Those interior improvements will include a 4,250-square-foot club suite addition down the third base side on the concourse level, with glass doors that open up to a new chairback seating section, Hoover Parks and Recreation Director Erin Colbaugh said. Another planned improvement is a new two-tier outfield patio on the first base side of the field between the scoreboard and bullpen, Grimes said.
Additionally, the chairback seating in the lower bowl of the stadium will be replaced with new chairback seating, and six sections of aluminum bleachers on the second level will be replaced with chairback seating, Colbaugh said. The remaining aluminum bleachers will get new backs put on them, she said.
The third phase of renovations also will include a new entrance from the lower parking lot on the third base side of the field and a total renovation of the concourse area, including new flooring and light fixtures to give the stadium a more modern look, Grimes said.
Once this renovation is complete, the total price tag for three years’ worth of renovations will be about $25 million, Grimes said.
Brocato said he feels good about the city’s chances of getting another contract extension with the SEC beyond 2025.
“They have some ideas of what they’d like to see happen, and I believe we’re going to do them all,” the mayor said. “It’s a good partnership. The student-athletes love it. The coaches love it, and the fans love it.”
He has spent a good bit of this week talking with people not just from the Southeast, but from all over the country who have come to the tournament, he said.
“They love the friendly atmosphere. They love the way our folks reach out to them. They love the way our Police Department are incredible ambassadors,” Brocato said. “It just gives everybody a welcome feeling.”
Photo by Jon Anderson
Tennessee fans celebrate winning the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Elisha and Samantha Brooks, Tennessee fans who live in San Diego, were back in Tennessee on vacation and decided to bring their family of four to Hoover for the first time ever to see their Vols play.
“I’ve been a Vol fan my whole life, and we were glad to support them,” Samantha Brooks said.
They were pleased with their first tournament experience, they said. She especially liked the SEC FanFest in the Finley Center, which included lots of activities for kids.
“There were lots of fun things for my toddler to do and good food, and it was convenient,” she said.
Josh and Sarah Hively of Conway, Arkansas, came with their two kids, ages 12 and 6, and other family members for games on Friday through Sunday. Arkansas already had been knocked out of the tournament Thursday, but that didn’t stop them.
“We were going to see some great baseball regardless,” Josh Hively said. “It’s been exciting baseball.”
After baking in the sun on Friday, they discovered the air-conditioned FanFest Saturday, which provided some much-needed relief from the heat and fun activities for the kids, he said.
Overall, the environment in Hoover is nice, Hively said.
“It just seems really safe here. We’re not worried about the kids getting snatched up. They have cops everywhere,” he said. “And we’re all here to watch great baseball.”
With heat and humidity hitting fans hard Sunday, the city of Hoover reached out to a variety of sources to secure about 100 cases of water and hand them out to fans for free.
The mayor said Hoover officials will start talking with the SEC again after the SEC completes its spring meetings in Destin, and he hopes the city can know something about a contract extension by the end of the summer.
Vincent said that, because there already is an agreement to bring the tournament back to Hoover next year, there’s not a sense of urgency to make a decision about 2026 right away. “No commitments now, but we’re talking to the city about the future,” Vincent said. “This is a great tournament and a great place to be.”
