The Big Ten Baseball Tournament kicks off on Tuesday in Omaha.
In this tournament, four teams are expected to make it to the top 64, with the UCLA Bruins potentially taking the overall top seed. The Bruins concluded the season with an impressive 48-6 record, marking their first ranking since 2016.
Furthermore, Oregon, Nebraska, and USC are also likely to secure spots in the field of 64. Meanwhile, Michigan and Purdue are in a tight race for qualification. For various reasons, this tournament is certainly worth watching.
What is the format of the Big Ten Baseball Tournament?
Unlike the ACC Baseball Tournament, which recently shifted to a single-elimination format, the Big Ten Tournament features both double-elimination and single-elimination rounds.
Initially, 12 teams qualified for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Minnesota, Indiana, Maryland, Penn State, and Northwestern will also be keeping an eye on the proceedings.
Teams seeded from 5th to 12th (Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Rutgers, Washington State, and Michigan State) will participate in a double-elimination tournament, split into two brackets of four teams each. The first bracket includes Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois, while the second consists of Michigan, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Washington.
This double-elimination segment identifies the four “qualifiers” for the subsequent single-elimination round, where the top four seeds (UCLA, Nebraska, Oregon, USC) will compete.
What are the seeds and records for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament?
Here’s a rundown of the seeds along with their regular and Big Ten records:
1. UCLA (48-6, 28-2 Big Ten)
2. Nebraska (41-14, 23-7 Big Ten)
3. Oregon State (38-15, 20-10 Big Ten)
4. USC (42-14, 20-10 Big Ten)
5. Purdue (35-18, 18-12 Big Ten)
6. Ohio State (29-23, 18-12 Big Ten)
7. Michigan State (32-22, 17-13 Big Ten)
8. Iowa State (32-21, 15-15 Big Ten)
9. Illinois (28-25, 14-16 Big Ten)
10. Rutgers (26-28, 13-17 Big Ten)
11. Washington (23-31, 12-18 Big Ten)
12. Michigan State (22-31, 11-19 Big Ten)
What are the slots for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament?
Here are the standings for the Big Ten tournament as reported by the conference.
As noted previously, this tournament has both double-elimination and single-elimination phases. Teams ranked from 5th to 12th will partake in the double-elimination phase, with the four advancing teams moving on to single elimination.
Who is the favorite to win the Big Ten Baseball Tournament?
Let’s focus on the Bruins.
UCLA wrapped up its season with just two losses in the Big Ten and only six in total. Impressively, the Bruins won all 14 weekend series, achieving a new program record with their 48 wins. They were the only program nationwide to win at least two out of three games in each weekend series.
Leading the team is shortstop Rock Cholowski, who is viewed as a front-runner in this year’s MLB Draft. After a solid season, where he had a .330/.465/.684 stat line including 21 home runs, Cholowski has proven to be a key player. Additionally, Will Gasparino has also emerged as a two-way player, maintaining a .305 average with 10 home runs. Coupled with ace Logan Redman and top starter Wylan Moss, UCLA is well-positioned for the top seed.
Oregon State and Nebraska are also looking to make noise ahead of the Monday selections. Nebraska, which finished second in the Big Ten, boasts a seven-game winning streak, but they missed facing the Bruins in the regular season. With 41 wins, including 23 in the Big Ten, this senior-heavy team has a history of success—it has won the last two Big Ten tournaments.
Oregon State stands out for having been one of only two teams in the Big Ten to beat UCLA this season, achieving a thrilling 6-5 victory over USC in a recent 14-inning game.
Big Ten Baseball Tournament Schedule and Scores
The schedule for the 2026 Big Ten Baseball Tournament is laid out below. All matches will occur in Omaha, and the lower-seeded team will serve as the visiting team in each clash.
Game 1: No. 5 Purdue vs. No. 12 Michigan State, 10 a.m. ET.
Game 2: No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Illinois, 2 p.m. ET.
Game 3: No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Rutgers, 6 p.m. ET.
Game 4: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Washington, 10 p.m. ET.
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 10 a.m. ET. (loser eliminated)
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 2 p.m. ET. (loser eliminated)
Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m. ET. (Winner moves forward)
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 10 p.m. ET. (Winner moves forward)
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser, 3 p.m. ET (Losers eliminated, winners in Preliminary 3)
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser, 7 p.m. ET. (Loser eliminated, winner in Preliminary 4)
Game 11: No. 4 USC vs. Game 7 Winner/Qualifier 1, 10 a.m. ET
Game 12: No. 1 UCLA vs. Game 9 Winner/Qualifier 3, 2 p.m. ET
Game 13: No. 2 Nebraska vs. Game 10 Winner/Qualifier 4, 6 p.m. ET.
Game 14: No. 3 Oregon vs. Game 8 Winner/Qualifier 2, 10 p.m. ET
Game 15: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12, 3 p.m. ET.
Game 16: Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14, 7 p.m. ET.
Game 17: Winner of Game 15 vs. Winner of Game 16, 3 p.m. ET.
