BLOOMINGTON, Indiana – On Thursday, the Big Ten Conference announced that the 2017 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will be held at Bart Kaufman Field on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The eight-team tournament will take place May 24-28.
“We are very pleased to host the 2017 Big Ten Tournament at Bart Kaufman Field,” Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass said. “It is a fabulous baseball venue, and with our program’s consistent level of success we have developed a terrific baseball atmosphere here at IU. This is a great event for the City of Bloomington, local businesses, and Indiana University. We cannot wait to welcome Big Ten baseball fans this May. I know they will love our Hoosier hospitality.”
The Big Ten Baseball Tournament has been played annually since 1981, with a four-team field through 1999 and a six-team event from 2000-2013 before moving to its current eight-team format in 2014. Six different schools have won the Big Ten Baseball Tournament, with Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State leading all conference programs with nine titles each. Illinois and Indiana have claimed four tournament crowns, while Purdue has won one.
“We are excited and honored to host the 2017 Big Ten Tournament, which is always one of best tournaments in the country,” said Indiana head coach Chris Lemonis. “It acknowledges all the hard work by our staff and the athletic department that have hosted NCAA Regionals and built this beautiful facility. This will be a special opportunity for our devoted fan base to see some of the nation’s top collegiate players in Bloomington, for what promises to be a fun week in May.”
This marks the first time since 2008 (Ann Arbor, Michigan) that a Big Ten school will host the tournament and it will be the first time Indiana has hosted the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament will return to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska, from 2018 to 2022.
Bart Kaufman Field is no stranger to hosting premier college baseball tournaments, having served as a regional host site for the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. The Hoosiers have ranked among the top two in the Big Ten and the top 35 in the country in attendance since the stadium opened.
Ticket information will be announced at a later date.
The 2017 Big Ten baseball season will begin on Feb. 17.
