FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
PARK RIDGE, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference and Greater Columbus Sports Commission announced today that Huntington Park, the home of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, will serve as the host site for the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament. The event will mark the Big Ten’s first neutral-site baseball tournament since 1994.
“We are excited to announce that the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will be held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio,” said Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. “Moving the baseball tournament to a neutral site will allow the conference office and the local organizing committee to promote this event throughout the season. In addition, playing at an outstanding facility like Huntington Park will enhance the experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We’re looking forward to the first pitch of the tournament in May.”
“We are thrilled to host the Big Ten Baseball Tournament in 2009,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission executive director Linda Shetina Logan. “Huntington Park is going to be the one of the best ballparks in the nation and will serve as the perfect backdrop as we roll out the red carpet to the players, coaches and fans in attendance. Our goal is to create an atmosphere similar to the College World Series.”
“We are proud to be hosting the Big Ten Baseball Tournament at Huntington Park,” said Columbus Clippers general manager Ken Schnacke. “And we thank the Big Ten Conference for allowing us the opportunity to show that Columbus is the best location to host its conference baseball tournament.”
Huntington Park will open on April 18 as the home of the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will be held May 20-23 and will be the first special event held in the ballpark, which is located in the Arena District, adjacent to Nationwide Arena.
Since the inception of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament in 1981, the event has been played at the site of the regular-season champion or the champion from a pre-selected division, with the exception of 1993 and 1994 when it was held in Battle Creek, Mich. From 1981-99, the tournament field consisted of the conference’s top four teams. In 2000, the field expanded to include six squads.
Five different teams have been named Big Ten Tournament champion in the event’s 28 years, with Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State owning the most titles with eight each. Illinois has won the tournament three times, and Indiana has taken home the crown once. Having won the last three regular-season championships, Michigan has hosted the last three tournaments, while the event was last held in Columbus in 2001. The 2009 tournament will be the sixth overall played in the city of Columbus.
The Big Ten Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination event with the top two seeds earning first-round byes. The full schedule can be found below.
The Big Ten Conference is an association of 11 world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes’ lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $100 million in athletic scholarship aid to more than 8,500 men and women student-athletes who compete for 25 championships, 12 for men and 13 for women. Conference institutions sponsor broad-based athletic programs with more than 270 teams. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.
The Greater Columbus Sports Commission was founded in June 2002 to attract professional, amateur, collegiate and youth sporting events to Columbus. Since its inception, the Sports Commission has attracted more than 90 events that have generated more than $95 million in visitor spending. For more information, visit www.ColumbusSports.org.
2009 BIG TEN BASEBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 20
12:05 p.m.: No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed
3:35 p.m.: No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed
Thursday, May 21
12:05 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
3:35 p.m.: Highest Seed of Games 1 & 2 Winners vs. No. 2 Seed
7:05 p.m.: Lowest Seed of Games 1 & 2 Winners vs. No. 1 Seed
Friday, May 22
12:05 p.m.: Winner Game 3 vs. Lowest Seed of Games 4 & 5 Losers#
3:35 p.m.: Winner Game 6 vs. Highest Seed of Games 4 & 5 Losers#
7:05 p.m.: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4
Saturday, May 23
3:35 p.m.: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
7:05 p.m.: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 (Championship Game)
Sunday, May 24 (If Necessary)*
12:05 p.m.: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10 (Second Championship Game)
All times Eastern
# – Exception: if one of the Games 4 or 5 losers has already had a bye, that team will play in Game 6, regardless of seed.
* – If winner of Game 10 is also the winner of Game 9, Winner and Loser of Game 10 will play in an 11th game on Sunday.
