A weather system moving over Hoover, Alabama pushed the Texas-Arkansas SEC Baseball Tournament quarterfinal back to no earlier than 5 p.m. ET on Friday, May 22, after an originally scheduled 4 p.m. ET first pitch.
Hoover, Alabama didn’t just bring the humidity for the SEC Baseball Tournament — it also brought the delays. For the Texas-Arkansas quarterfinal matchup on Friday, May 22, inclement weather forced the game back to no earlier than 5 p.m. ET, after it was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
The National Weather Service forecast adds pressure for what comes next at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the tournament’s annual host. On May 22. the NWS projects a 90% chance of precipitation. with new rainfall totals of up to an inch possible and a chance of thunderstorms. That risk doesn’t let up: the forecast also calls for a 90% chance of rain with possible thunderstorms on May 23. and again on May 24. the day of the SEC championship game.
College baseball’s postseason is already in full swing across the country, and weather has become a recurring problem as schedules compress and fans wait for first pitches.
For Texas and Arkansas, the immediate question is when play will actually begin. The tournament delay brings the matchup into a window where the weather may ease. Weather.com says the chance of thunderstorms ends after 4 p.m. ET — the same cutoff point that aligned with the decision to delay the game an hour. The forecast also calls for a first-pitch temperature of 73 degrees, with a 0% chance of rain throughout the game.
Even if the radar looks better, tournament rules can turn a brief pause into a longer wait. Under NCAA weather delay rules. if a lightning strike occurs within a 6-mile radius of the stadium. a 30-minute delay clock resets if play is paused. The NCAA also says lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and after the last flash of lightning are at least six miles away. and moving away from the venue.
“If lightning is seen without hearing thunder, lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat,” the NCAA states.
All of it matters because May 24 carries the heaviest weight — the SEC championship game — and the forecast keeps thunderstorms and rain on the table. With that backdrop, one hour may be manageable today, but every reset clock makes the rest of the tournament harder to predict.
SEC Baseball Tournament Hoover Alabama Texas Arkansas quarterfinal weather delay lightning rules NCAA lightning safety May 22 May 23 May 24 Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
Why do they even schedule baseball in Alabama in May if it’s just gonna rain all day.
So it’s delayed to 5pm now… but they said 0% chance of rain during the game? That seems like they’re just guessing. I swear the radar never lies until it does.
Lightning rules are so confusing like 6-mile radius?? If it resets every time, they’re gonna be there till midnight. Also isn’t a “pause” different than a delay? Like my cousin said lightning delays don’t reset, idk.
Honestly this is why I don’t watch tournaments, always weather delays. They should move the whole thing inside or something. Hoover always gets hit too, I remember a story about floods there last year and this is basically the same thing, just with baseball. Also 73 degrees sounds nice but 90% rain chance is like… pick one?