BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SEC) — The Southeastern Conference has altered the format of its annual baseball tournament.  It will mark the first major change to the event’s format since 1996.

The 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, which will be held in Hoover, Ala., at Regions Park for the 15th consecutive year, will increase to 10 teams and will begin on Tuesday, May 22nd. The tournament will continue to follow a format that is modeled in a similar fashion to previous SEC Tournament and College World Series brackets. The 10 teams are seeded 1-10 with the two divisional champions guaranteed of the top two seeds and first-round byes. Games played from Tuesday thru Friday are double elimination with single elimination starting on Saturday. The tournament field will include the top teams from the SEC’s Eastern and Western Divisions plus eight at-large bids seeded 3-10 based on conference winning percentage.

The SEC has also announced the beginning of a Baseball Legends Program, modeled similarly after the popular ‘Legend’s and ‘Greats’ programs that surround the SEC Football Championship Game and the SEC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. Four former SEC baseball standouts will be honored on-site as part of the annual baseball tournament each year beginning in May of 2012.

A squad from the SEC Tournament has advanced to four consecutive National Championship Series in Omaha, winning the last three NCAA titles (LSU 2009; South Carolina 2010 and 2011). Nearly 100 first-round picks in the Major League Baseball Draft have played in SEC Tournament since 1991.

The 2012 event will be held May 22-27 at Regions Park. Tickets will go on sale in February.

The 2011 SEC Baseball Tournament drew nearly 100,000 fans. Six times time in the last nine years the tournament has surpassed the six-digit mark in total attendance. The 2010 event drew close to 130,000 fans, an all-time record. The SEC is scheduled to keep its baseball tournament in Hoover at Regions Park through 2016 under the current contract.

SEC Tournament Format Alterations

– Increase from eight to 10 teams

– Event will run from Tuesday through Sunday

– Games played from Tuesday to Friday are double elimination with single elimination starting on Saturday with games 15 and 16.

– Addition of SEC Baseball Legends Program recognized annually at tournament

2012 SEC Tournament Bracket

(Television information not available at this time)

Tuesday, May 22

Game 1                                9:30 a.m.              #4 Seed vs. #9 Seed [TV TBA]

Game 2                                TBD                        #6 Seed vs. #7 Seed [TV TBA]

Game 3                                4:30 p.m.             #3 Seed vs. #10 Seed [TV TBA]

Game 4                                TBD                        #5 Seed vs. #8 Seed [TV TBA]

Wednesday, May 23

Game 5                                9:30 a.m.              Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 [TV TBA]

Game 6                                TBD                        #1 Seed vs. Game 1-2 Low Seed Winner [TV TBA]

Game 7                                4:30 p.m.             Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 [TV TBA]

Game 8                                TBD                        #2 Seed vs. Game 3-4 Low Seed Winner [TV TBA]

Thursday, May 24

Game 9                                9:30 a.m.              Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 5 [TV TBA]

Game 10                              TBD                        Game 1-2 Top Seed Winner vs. Winner Game 6 [TV TBA]

Game 11                              4:30 p.m.             Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 7 [TV TBA]

Game 12                              TBD                        Game 3-4 Top Seed vs. Winner Game 8 [TV TBA]

Friday, May 25

Game 13                              3:00 p.m.             Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9 [TV TBA]

Game 14                              TBD                        Loser Game 12 vs. Winner Game 11 [TV TBA]

Saturday, May 26

Game 15                              TBD                        Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 13 [TV TBA]

Game 16                              TBD                        Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 14 [TV TBA]

Sunday, May 27

Game 17                              TBD                        Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16 [TV TBA]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference has entered into a new agreement with the Alabama Sports Foundation and the City of Hoover, ensuring that the league’s annual event will remain at Regions Park through the year 2016, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced today.

“We are very pleased about continuing our relationship with the Alabama Sports Foundation and the City of Hoover” Slive said. “We have seen the tournament grow through the support of those two entities and our great fans. SEC baseball supporters have had a major impact on the success of this event, and we look forward to continuing to provide them with a great environment and experience.”

The 2010 SEC Baseball Tournament, held in Hoover, Ala., drew over 126,000 fans and nearly 10,000 per game, both record-highs for the event. Five times time in the last eight years the tournament has surpassed the six-digit mark in total attendance. The 2008 event drew over 124,000 fans. The top 15 crowds in tournament history have come at Regions Park.

The City of Hoover has made nearly $6 million in stadium improvements and renovations over the last five years, including most recently, installation of a state-of-the-art, high definition videoboard. All games of the annual event are televised live and in HD as part of the league’s recent television contract with ESPN, as well as broadcast around the globe on ESPN3.com and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

A squad from the SEC Tournament has advanced to three consecutive national championship games, winning the last two (LSU, 2009; South Carolina 2010). Nearly 90 first-round picks in the MLB Draft have played in SEC Tournament since 1991.

48…Game hitting streak by Florida International shortstop Garrett Wittels.  The sophomore has the second-longest hitting streak in Division One history after hitting safely in Saturday’s regular season finale vs. rival Florida Atlantic. Former Oklahoma State and MLB star Robin Ventura owns the all-time record with hits in 58 straight games in 1987.

.415…Wittels‘ batting average during the streak (and season to date).  He has played in 48 of his team’s 53 games this season and has collected 66 singles, 15 doubles, two triples, and two home runs during the streak.

2 2/3…Innings Wittels has also pitched this season.  He has a 3.30 ERA.

34…Consecutive scoreless innings pitched by Rhode Island’s Tim Boyce, who tossed his second straight complete game shutout last Thursday vs. George Washington.  The scoreless streak is the longest in Division One baseball in 2010.

7 2/3…Innings pitched before Boyce gave-up a hit in that game.  The senior settled for a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and just one walk to improve to 5-3 this season.

.109…Batting average of the combined 119 batters Boyce has faced during his scoreless streak, which dates back to April 30.  Boyce has given-up just 12 hits with 29 strikeouts and four walks during the impressive streak.

32 1/3…Scoreless innings streak by Wichita State sophomore Jordan Cooper that ended Thursday when Dallas Baptist’s Jason Kizran hit his 11th home run of the season.  Cooper gave-up the lone run in 7 IP with eight strikeouts to improve to 9-2 on the year.

11…SEC regular season championships won by Florida after the Gators won their series at South Carolina over the weekend heading into this week’s SEC Baseball Tournament.

14…Years since the Gators last won a series in Columbia, SC prior to their weekend win.  Third-year Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan is the seventh head coach in school history to win an SEC crown.

332…Career strikeouts by Mississippi’s Drew Pomeranz to tie an Ole Miss school record.  Pomeranz fanned six in Thursday’s 5-3 loss to Auburn to hit the mark.  The junior lefty has 127 Ks in 86 2/3 IP this season.

19…Wins in SEC regular season play, the most in school history, by Auburn after taking the first two games of the series vs. Ole Miss.  The series win gives the Tigers their first SEC West Division crown since 1995.  Auburn will be the #2 seed at the SEC Tournament.

2,055…Combined career wins by Minnesota’s John Anderson (1,031) and Ohio State’s Bob Todd (1,024) prior to their weekend series in Columbus, OH.  Both have already been inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

2…Games won by Anderson’s Golden Gophers over Todd’s Buckeyes to give Minnesota the Big Ten regular season crown and knock Ohio State out of the Big Ten Tournament, which is being played this year on Ohio State’s Bill Davis Stadium.

3…Wins by Iowa over Purdue to end the regular season to give the Hawkeyes the #4 seed at the Big Ten Tourney.  It’s Iowa’s only season sweep of the season and the first for the Hawkeyes to end the regular season since 1980.  Iowa and Purdue will play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

4…Complete game shutouts this season by Pepperdine’s Matt Bywater.  The senior set Pepperdine’s single-season shutout record with Friday’s 5-0 win over San Diego.  He was previously in a nine-way tie for first place with the likes of former Major Leaguer Mike Scott.

1…West Coast Conference loss by San Diego, which was 15-0 in league play heading into Friday’s action.  The Toreros have already claimed the WCC regular season championship, which comes with an automatic NCAA bid.

5…Complete games tossed by Bywater (5-5) this season to help the Pepperdine pitching staff to a WCC-best 11 CGs this year.

5…Complete games combined by the Portland, San Francisco and Gonzaga pitching staffs in 2010.

17…Consecutive times Vanderbilt’s Jason Esposito reached base safely prior to striking out looking in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 4-3 win over Arkansas.  Esposito’s streak fell one short of tying the all-time NCAA record of 18, which was set by Shaun Larkin of Cal State Northridge in 2002.

3…Games won by Clemson over Florida State to end the regular season and give the Tigers the ACC’s Atlantic Division crown.

2…Games won in the series by Clemson reliever Alex Frederick, who pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Saturday’s 8-3 win after earning the win in 2 1/3 innings of relief in Thursday’s 9-8 victory.

1994…The last time a Clemson pitcher won two games in an ACC three-game series prior to Frederick’s weekend feat.

4…Runs scored by Louisville with two outs in the 9th inning of Thursday’s 6-3 win over Notre Dame.  The Cardinals scored their runs on J.J. Ethel’s pinch-hit 3-run HR, which was followed by a solo shot by Jeff Arnold.

2…Runs scored by Louisville when the Cardinals were again down to their last out in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader vs. the Irish.  Adam Duvall’s 2-run triple gave Louisville the winning runs.

15…Wins by the Cardinals this season that have seen the winning runs scored in their last at-bat.  Louisville’s sweep of Notre Dame, coupled with UConn falling to Seton Hall in its regular season finale gave the Cards the Big East regular season championship.

3…Runs scored on a two out walk-off home run by West Virginia’s Kevin Griffin to give the Mountaineers a 3-2 win over Villanova The win clinched the #8 seed at the Big East Tournament for WVU and knocked Notre Dame out of a spot in the tourney.

1987…The last time Notre Dame (22-32) both finished with a losing record and failed to qualify for a conference tournament.  The Irish had been to the Big East Tournament every year since joining the conference in the 1996 season.

35… Straight Big South Conference games won by Coastal Carolina, which closed its 2010 regular season slate at 25-0 after taking two games from Radford (the finale was rained-out).

8…Runs scored by Washington from the 9th-11th innings to beat Oregon 13-11 in Friday’s series opener.  After the Huskies scored two in the 9th and four runs in the 10th inning to tie the game, freshman Chase Anselment capped the thriller with a two-run walk-off home run.

41…Regular season wins for UCLA after a weekend sweep of Cal.  It’s the first time in 31 years the Bruins (41-11, 16-8 Pac 10) have registered at least 41 regular season victories.

1969…The last time UCLA has been at least 30 games above .500.  With no Pac 10 Tournament, the Bruins conclude the regular season this week with a Tuesday game vs. Big West champion Cal State Fullerton and three games vs. Pac 10 foe Washington State.

9-1…Washington State’s record in its last 10 games after a weekend sweep of USC.  The hot streak has the Cougars (31-18, 14-10) in third place in the Pac 10, behind Arizona State (47-5, 18-6) and UCLA.

1…2009 College World Series team, North Carolina, that failed to qualify for its conference tournament this year.  The Tar Heels (36-20, 14-16 ACC) did not make the ACC Tournament despite a sweep of Viginia Tech to close the regular season.  Boston College made it in after a series of tie-breakers.

0…ACC teams that have ever made the NCAA Tournament without first qualifying for the ACC Tournament.  The Tar Heels, which had an RPI of 30 last week, will be on pins and needles until NCAA selections come out next Monday (May 31).

2…More NCAA Tournament automatic bids that were locked-up over the weekend.  Bethune-Cookman won the MEAC crown, while Bucknell took the Patriot League title.

1998…The last time Oral Roberts was not the #1 seed at the Summit League Baseball Tournament prior to this year.  The Golden Eagles were the regular season co-champs with South Dakota State this year, but are the tournament’s #2 seed after losing three of four games to the Jack Rabbits earlier this month.

27…Straight Summit League Tournament games Oral Roberts has won heading into this week’s tournament.

Everthing came full-circle for LSU baseball when Paul Mainieri’s Tigers won the program’s sixth national championship on June 24th.  The program that started the decade with a title in 2000 ended the decade with a championship as well.