If a 7 a.m. first pitch in the Big 12 Baseball Championship doesnβt work for you, donβt fret: Thatβs about to change.
The Big 12 announced Monday that itβs moving its conference tournament to Surprise starting next year.
The event thatβs been held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, since 2022 β including this weekβs tournament running Wednesday-Saturday β is moving to Surprise Stadium, the spring-training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.
Assuming the format remains the same, the opening games will start at 9 a.m. MST instead of 7 a.m. β which is when Arizona State and BYU are playing Wednesday. The winner will face Arizona at the same time Thursday.
The Big 12 has partnered with REV Entertainment to run the tournament and will continue to do so.
βBringing the Big 12 Baseball Championship to Surprise Stadium represents an exciting new chapter in our partnership with the Big 12 Conference and the city of Surprise,β Jared Schrom, senior vice president of REV Entertainment, said in a news release. βWe look forward to creating a new tradition in Arizona starting in 2026.β
A member of the Surprise Stadium ground crew hoses down the home plate area prior to a spring-training game between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants on March 6, 2019, in Surprise.
Surprise Stadium has a capacity of 10,714. It also will host an early-season college baseball tournament starting next year.
The 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championship is slated for May 20-23.
For Arizona, ASU and Utah, shifting the event to Surprise represents a call-back. The Pac-12 Tournament was held at Scottsdale Stadium for the entirety of its three-year run (2022-24).
βFor the Arizona schools, itβs great,β UA coach Chip Hale said. βWeβre going to be back in Arizona. We know weβre going to play. Thatβs one thing about these tournaments. As you know, the SEC has a hard time, and the ACC, (because) of weather, getting delayed and all those things.β
