TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball, in a partnership with the city of Hoover, will play a majority of the 2015 home schedule at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the two parties announced. The Tide will play 30-plus home games in Hoover while the stadium will once again play host to the 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament.
“The City of Hoover is pleased to welcome The University of Alabama baseball team to the Hoover Met in 2015,” said Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey. “This will give local Alabama fans an opportunity to enjoy baseball games at the Hoover Met while the University stadium is undergoing renovations. It will also give college baseball fans a chance to see many quality teams from around the country play throughout the spring season.”
“With our situation, we couldn’t ask for any more,” said head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard. “The people of Hoover have been tremendous to work with. We feel very fortunate to play in a facility like the Hoover Met. The fact that we can play 30 games there is really exciting for our program and players.”
Alabama will kick off the season as well as its home slate on Friday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. when the Crimson Tide plays host to the University of Maryland–Eastern Shore. The Tide and Hawks will play a weekend series to begin each team’s respective seasons.
The Tide and the Met will welcome the University of Louisiana-Lafayette – a team that spent much of last year near the top of the college ranks, as well as SEC foes Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas and Vanderbilt for weekend series in 2015. Hoover will also play host to individual Tuesday games pairing Alabama against in-state competitors Samford and UAB, as well as Southern Miss and Mercer. The home calendar is also dotted with three double-headers throughout the year, starting off against Savannah State, with a second against Alabama A&M and a final twinbill against Mississippi Valley State.
“The Met is a first-class facility conveniently located off of I-459 and just 45 minutes from campus, which will provide easy access for fans traveling from Tuscaloosa,” Mayor Ivey added. “Various improvements are being made to the stadium to ensure the facility will feel like home to the Crimson Tide team. We encourage fans to check the schedule and purchase tickets now for these exciting games.”
The Hoover Met seats 10,500-plus and features 12 private skyboxes, a large banquet room and a picnic area with a pavilion to help host fans at a variety of events. The Met features a state-of-the-art sound system and Wi-Fi access throughout the upper level of the facility for fans to use. The stadium includes 4,000 parking spaces to accommodate visitors and also features a first-class RV park adjacent to the main parking lot.
“It’s a unique situation that our program and our team is looking forward to this spring” Gaspard said. “It’s not very often that you’re in this spot, so I think it’s really important for us to take advantage of this and build momentum as we move into the new stadium the following year.”
For fans looking to attend games in Hoover, various ticket options are available. For fans wishing to view all 28 games, season ticket packages are available starting at $60 and ranging up to $125. Those wanting to attend individual contests can purchase general admission tickets at the prices of $5 for children 18 and under, $8 for adult admission and $10 for reserved seating.
Group packages are also available for parties of 15 or more at the Met. Group general admission seating is $3 for children 18 and under and $5 for adults, while group reserved seating is priced at $7.
Premium seating is also available at the Tide’s 2015 home. Suites and club-level seats are available to fans looking to attend individual games. Suites are $20 per seat for an individual and vary from $240 per game for a 12-seat suite to $360 per game for an 18-seat suite. Club-level pricing is still to be determined.
Season-long seating in the premium sections is also an option for fans. Suite seating for the season is $18 per seat for an individual. A 12-person box in the suites is $5,832 while an 18-person suite is $8,748 (both options do not include food). Club-level season ticket prices are still undecided.
“Although we hate not being able to play in Tuscaloosa, we think it’s a great fit for us for this year, with the understanding and the situation we’re under right now,” Gaspard added. “It’s 50 minutes down the road, it’s a great venue and we feel like it can be a really good fan base that can be cultivated there.”
