The conference office announced on Saturday the bracket for the 2012 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, held May 23-26 at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. Purdue won its first Big Ten Championship since 1909 and is the No. 1 seed for the first time in the event’s history.
Purdue finished the Big Ten season with a 17-7 record and will be appearing in its fifth consecutive Big Ten Tournament, which is the longest active streak in the conference. The Boilermakers have a first-round bye for the first time since 2008 and will begin play on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Purdue is seeking its first Big Ten Tournament title.
Indiana is the No. 2 seed, having finished the regular season with a 16-8 Big Ten record and will be playing in its fourth conference tournament in the last five years. The Hoosiers have won two Big Ten Tournaments, including in 2009 at Huntington Park. Indiana receives its highest seed since the tournament expanded to six teams in 2000.
Penn State earned the No. 3 seed in the bracket after finishing Big Ten play with a 15-9 mark and will make its second consecutive tournament appearance. The Nittany Lions receive their highest seed since 2008, when they were also third, and are seeking their first tournament title.
Nebraska finished the regular season 14-10 in Big Ten play and is the No. 4 seed, making the Big Ten Tournament in its first year as a conference member. The Huskers are making their first postseason appearance since 2008.
Michigan State claimed the No. 5 seed after finishing 13-11 during conference action. The Spartans are making their 10th overall appearance in the tournament, their third in the last four years, and second consecutive. Michigan State is looking for its first Big Ten Tournament championship.
Ohio State earned the No. 6 seed, finishing 11-13 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes finished tied in the standings with Illinois and Minnesota, but claimed the tiebreaker by virtue of their record against the three teams’ common opponents. Ohio State will make its 25th tournament appearance, which is second among all Big Ten teams, and its second in a row. The Buckeyes have won eight conference tournaments, which is tied for second among all Big Ten teams.
Tournament action gets underway on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. ET as Nebraska faces Michigan State. Game 2 will begin at approximately 3:35 p.m. ET and will feature Penn State and Ohio State. Purdue and Indiana will begin play on Thursday and will face the winners of Wednesday’s games. All games will be broadcast live on BTN.