From the Commercial Appeal:

A bid to host upcoming Southeastern Conference baseball tournaments was submitted Wednesday by a Memphis group — the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Memphis Redbirds and the Memphis Sports Council — that hopes to wrestle the event from its nearly 20-year stay in Hoover, Alabama.

Nashville, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Hoover also submitted bids. The Memphis bid is for 2017, '18 and '19 with options for '20 and '21.

"We are going to give it our best shot," said Kevin Kane, CVB president. "We are going to be as aggressive as we can be. We are throwing the kitchen sink (of amenities) at them. It would be a prestigious event for the city."

Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, has played host to the SEC Tournament for the past 18 years and is expected to present another strong bid.

The winning bid is expected to be announced at the league's annual spring meetings in May at Destin, Florida.

SEC associate commissioner Herb Vincent said the tournament has been successful in Hoover, but added: "As we near the end of the current contract, our membership thought it was important to explore what locations, including Hoover, would have interest in serving as a host."

Memphis bid for the event four years ago, but Kane said the city is better equipped to host the tournament, including providing for the armada of recreational vehicles that accompany SEC teams annually to Hoover. Kane said the RVs would be directed to Tiger Lane, the tailgating area at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium that offers electrical connections. He said free shuttles would run continuously to AutoZone Park — a five-mile drive — during games.

"We think we have solved the RV problem," Kane said. "And we just think we have a great overall package to go with a superior ballpark."

The Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, would have to alter their Pacific Coast League schedule to allow for an extended stay by the SEC. But Craig Unger, the Redbirds' general manager, said he has been in "constant communication" with the PCL about making allowances should Memphis be awarded a tournament.

"It's exciting for us to just be considered," Unger said. "The city of Memphis would be an ideal place to hold an event like this."

Unger said capacity at AutoZone Park would be 12,000 for the SEC Tournament. He said the Redbirds would need to block off 12 days for the event, which would draw more than 100 media members.

"We are looking at 10 to 12 days where the Redbirds would have to be out of town, but the (PCL) is aware of that," Unger said. "The (PCL) is supportive in our efforts to bring this to Memphis."

Unger said Oklahoma City, a PCL team, has played host to the Big 12 tournament. The Durham Bulls of the International League have played host to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

"This is not unusual," Unger said.

Kane said he's confident those who put together the Memphis bid "have all pieces of the puzzle in place."

"We think SEC baseball fans deserve a diverse experience," Kane said. "We think we've built a compelling case for Memphis and the SEC."

Tiger Lane:

New hotels across the street:
https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2016/02/11/three-downtown-hotel-projects-get-green-light.html#g2

Beale Street one block away:

This post was edited on 2/25/16 at 11:15 pm