FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The home and away team designations for the inaugural BIG EAST-Big TEN Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, have been determined by the participating conference offices, it was announced today. Each team has been designated the home side for at least one of its three games in this first-ever NCAA Division I college baseball challenge.
The BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge will take place at major league-caliber facilities throughout the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area from Feb. 20-22. All 10 of the Big Ten’s baseball-playing institutions will compete in the inaugural event, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue. Eight BIG EAST representatives will participate, including South Florida, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.
Each day there will be eight games that feature a BIG EAST team taking on a club from the Big Ten along with one non-conference contest in which two Big Ten schools face off. Games will take place in St. Petersburg at the Raymond A. Naimoli Complex and at Progress Energy Park, in Clearwater at Jack Russell Stadium and Bright House Field and in Dunedin at Dunedin Stadium.
Tickets to the BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge are available online at www.BIGEASTBigTenChallenge.com. Those interested in purchasing tickets via phone can call event manager API Management & Marketing at 410-472-3500.
An all-tournament pass, which provides access to all 27 games of the Challenge, can be purchased for $10. Individual venue passes are available for $5. An individual venue pass will admit one spectator to any game on a given day at Progress Energy Park, the Raymond A. Naimoli Complex, Jack Russell Stadium, Bright House Field or Dunedin Stadium. Youth and social organizations also can sell all-tournament passes with a portion of the proceeds going to the selling organization. Information about fundraising opportunities also is available at www.BIGEASTBigTenChallenge.com.
The tournament opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, with Indiana as the home team against West Virginia at Progress Energy Park and Michigan State the home designee vs. Connecticut at Jack Russell Stadium.
The complete tournament schedule can be found below. For more information please call 410-472-3500 or send an email to scott@api-mgmt.com.
BIG EAST/BIG TEN CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, February 20
10 a.m.
West Virginia at Indiana Progress Energy Park
Connecticut at Michigan State Jack Russell Stadium
1 p.m.
Seton Hall at Minnesota Progress Energy Park
South Florida at Michigan Jack Russell Stadium
Cincinnati at Purdue Naimoli Complex
4 p.m.
St. John’s at Penn State Dunedin Stadium
Georgetown at Northwestern Progress Energy Park
Illinois at Iowa Jack Russell Stadium
7:30 p.m.
Notre Dame at Ohio State Dunedin Stadium
Saturday, February 21
10 a.m.
Michigan State at Seton Hall Progress Energy Park
Minnesota at West Virginia Jack Russell Stadium
1 p.m.
Illinois at Notre Dame Progress Energy Park
Iowa at St. John’s Jack Russell Stadium
Penn State at Northwestern Naimoli Complex
4 p.m.
Michigan at Cincinnati Bright House Field
Ohio State at Connecticut Progress Energy Park
Indiana at Georgetown Jack Russell Stadium
7:30 p.m.
Purdue at South Florida* Bright House Field
* Game televised by Bright House Sports Network
Sunday, February 22
10 a.m.
Ohio State at Cincinnati Progress Energy Park
Penn State at Seton Hall Jack Russell Stadium
Northwestern at Connecticut Naimoli Complex
Minnesota at Michigan State Naimoli Complex
Georgetown at Iowa Naimoli Complex
1 p.m.
Michigan at St. John’s Progress Energy Park
Notre Dame at Purdue Jack Russell Stadium
Indiana at South Florida Naimoli Complex
West Virginia at Illinois Naimoli Complex
