Record-breaking SEC baseball tournament wraps up

HOOVER, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Sunday capped off the record-breaking 2024 SEC baseball tournament.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said Sunday afternoon the 2024 tournament was set to break attendance records. Over 180,000 people attended games this past week. That’s almost 10,000 more people compared to last year’s tournament. No. 1 seed Tennessee downed 11th-seed LSU, 4-3, to win the tournament Sunday.

Even with a contract set to expire in 2025, Brocato is confident the SEC tournament — which brings over $15 million to the city — will remain in Hoover

“We put in $11 million into the stadium this year and have about $11 million more to put in next year,” Brocato said.

The $22 million investment from the city comes from suggestions the SEC has made. Brocato said the city values the SEC as a partner and is working to make sure the stadium meets the expectations of the conference.

“We want to make sure the young men playing the game, the coaches coaching the game and the fans coming to enjoy the game — that it is top notch,” Brocato said.

Fans like Nolan Collins said they would love to see the tournament stay in Hoover. Collins travels from Boston each year to the tournament with a group of friends.

“We love it here. We love coming down every year,” Collins said. “Hoover is a great place. Birmingham is awesome.”

Some are worried about the stadium’s ability to host a major tournament. One fan said he waited an hour-and-a-half in a concession line to get water. Another fan, Fredrick Stari, said some concession stands ran out of water bottles.

Brocato said he was aware of the shortages of water and the city addressed the issue. Shortly after speaking with the mayor, CBS 42 saw the city handing out water bottles to fans waiting in line.

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