Baseball: BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge Announced
September 08, 2008 03:30 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
September 8, 2008
BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge Pairings
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| Bright House Field will be one of the venues used at the inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University baseball team will open its 2009 season by competing in the inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission on Feb. 20-22, API Marketing announced today.
“This is a cutting-edge concept for Division I baseball,” BIG EAST Commissioner Mike Tranghese said. “It’s a terrific opportunity for our teams to play against great competition in a setting that’s conducive to high-level collegiate baseball. We’ve held our baseball championship in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area twice in the past three years, so we know that our teams are in for a wonderful experience.”
The inter-conference competition features 27 games and gives both northern-based conferences the opportunity to start the season competitively while playing in a warmer climate.
“We think it is a great idea,” WVU Head Coach Greg Van Zant said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to take part in something like this, and it’s great for college baseball.”
The Mountaineers open their season against Indiana on Friday, Feb. 20. They follow with a game on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Minnesota, and finish with Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 22. Game times and venues will be announced at a later date.
Eight baseball-playing institutions from the 12-team BIG EAST Conference will participate in the challenge, including South Florida, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and WVU.
All 10 of the Big Ten’s schools will compete. They include Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern.
There will be eight inter-conference contests daily, with the two extra Big Ten teams competing against each other in non-league games.
Another highlight of the challenge involves the use of several quality spring training venues in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater areas. They include Bright House Field, which holds the 2009 BIG EAST Championships, as well as Knology Park and Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field.
“It will be great publicity for BIG EAST and Big Ten college baseball,” Van Zant said. “It should be a very exciting competition.”
