Baseball Tournament: Day 2 Update

Photo by Mark Kuhlmann

OMAHA, Neb. — Two teams qualified for the quarterfinals and two were sent home as the 2026 Big Ten Baseball Tournament presented by IFS.ai continued at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on Wednesday.

Game 5: Purdue 3, Illinois 1
Purdue (36-19) was kept off the board until the eighth inning, but scored three times to keep their tournament hopes alive. Eli Anderson delivered a two-run single as the Boilermakers earned the win despite having just three hits. Illinois ended its season at 28-27.

Game 6: Ohio State 3, Rutgers 2
Pierce Herrenbruck tossed a complete game with 99 pitches for the Buckeyes (30-24). Teammate Dane Harvey drove in the winning run with a double in the bottom eighth. Rutgers closed its year with a 26-30 mark.

Game 7: Michigan State 4, Iowa 3
The 12th-seeded Spartans (24-31) earned a spot in the quarterfinals and a matchup with No. 4 seed USC. Ryan McKay singled home two runs in the top ninth and reliever Nolan Higgins closed the door with a pair of strikeouts. Iowa (33-22) now prepares to face Purdue on Thursday with a quarterfinals berth on the line.

Game 8: Washington 7, Michigan 1
The 11th-seeded Huskies (25-31) punched their ticket to the quarterfinals, where they will meet arch-rival Oregon on Friday. Jackson Hotchkiss connected on his 20th home run of the season, becoming the third Big Ten player this season to reach that mark. Michigan (33-23) will meet Ohio State Thursday with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals.