Big Ten Baseball Tournament

A few weeks before the College World Series, Omaha hosts a warm-up of sorts: the Big Ten Conference baseball tournament. Twelve teams from a league that now stretches from UCLA and Oregon to Rutgers and Maryland play at Charles Schwab Field for the conference title and the automatic NCAA tournament bid that goes with it.

Omaha has hosted the tournament nine times since 2014, and the Big Ten has signed on to keep it here through the 2027 season. The 2026 edition, played May 19 to 24, used a new 12-team format: the bottom eight seeds play double-elimination games to produce four survivors, who then meet the top four seeds in a single-elimination bracket through the Sunday final.

Nebraska's presence means a strong local turnout, especially when the Huskers are winning, but crowds are far smaller than in June. For visitors that is a plus: it is an easy, affordable way to see high-level college baseball in the CWS ballpark without the CWS crowds or hotel prices.

Highlights

• Twelve-team conference tournament in the College World Series ballpark
• Hosted in Omaha nine times since 2014, with a contract through 2027
• Nebraska Huskers fans make it a lively home crowd
• Multiple games a day early in the week
• Much easier tickets and lodging than the CWS

Tips for going

• All-session packages are sold through the Big Ten's website; single-day tickets are usually easy to get.
• Lodging is far easier than in June, but check the calendar: this week can overlap with graduations and other late-May events.
• Downtown parking near the ballpark is simple this week, or walk over from the Old Market.
• Weekday afternoon games are the quietest; the Saturday semifinals and Sunday final draw the biggest crowds.