COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The 2009 Big Ten Conference Baseball Tournament will be played in downtown Columbus at Huntington Park, the new home of the Triple A Columbus Clippers, the Big Ten Conference announced today. The six-team, double elimination tournament, which the Ohio State Buckeyes have won eight times, will be contested May 20-24.
?We are excited to announce 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.?
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.
The Big Ten baseball tournament was last held in Columbus in 2001. The 2009 tournament will be the sixth overall played in the city of Columbus.
?It took a cooperative effort from the Big Ten Conference and its member schools, the Columbus Clippers and the Columbus Sports Commission to get a pre-determined site for the tournament chosen,? Bob Todd, Ohio State baseball coach, said. ?Ken Schnacke, of the Clippers, and Linda Logan, from the Columbus Sports Commission, did a very good job of introducing the new Huntington Park and selling the Arena District location. There are a lot of positives about this location and I don?t think the Big Ten could have chosen a better spot for the tournament.?
Five different teams have been named Big Ten Tournament champion in the event?s 28 years, with Ohio State, Michigan and Minnesota owning the most titles with eight each. Illinois has won the tournament three times, and Indiana has taken home the crown once.
?I think I speak for all of the coaches in the Big Ten in that we have tried for several years to get this tournament at a predetermined site,? Todd said. ?Our concern was to make sure the location had a significant Big Ten fan base and I think Columbus is the heart of Big Ten country. We have a great fan base here and our baseball fans are knowledgeable.?
