East

Softball

Ohio St. Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes Softball team

Team standings for Ohio State Buckeyes Softball team in 2024

West

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa Hawkeyes Softball team

Team standings for Iowa Hawkeyes Softball team in 2024

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan Wolverines Softball team

Team standings for Michigan Wolverines Softball team in 2024

Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern Wildcats Softball team

Team standings for Northwestern Wildcats Softball team in 2024

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota Golden Gophers Softball team

Team standings for Minnesota Golden Gophers Softball team in 2024

Penn St. Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions Softball team

Team standings for Penn State Nittany Lions Softball team in 2024

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Softball team

Team standings for Rutgers Scarlet Knights Softball team in 2024

Nebraska Cornhuskers, Huskers

Nebraska Huskers

Nebraska Huskers Softball team

Team standings for Nebraska Huskers Softball team in 2024

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue Boilermakers Softball team

Team standings for Purdue Boilermakers Softball team in 2024

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin Badgers Softball team

Team standings for Wisconsin Badgers Softball team in 2024

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana Hoosiers Softball team

Team standings for Indiana Hoosiers Softball team in 2024

Maryland Terrapins

Maryland Terrapins Softball team

Team standings for Maryland Terrapins Softball team in 2024

Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini Softball team

Team standings for Illinois Fighting Illini Softball team in 2024

Michigan St. Spartans

Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State Spartans Softball team

Team standings for Michigan State Spartans Softball team in 2024

Photo by Matthew Putney IOWA CITY, Iowa — Michigan added another conference championship to its trophy case with a 3-1 victory over Indiana in the Championship Game of the 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament Presented by DirecTV. Saturday's victory at Pearl Field was the 11th Big Ten Tournament title for the Wolverines and their first since 2019. Michigan (41-17) will receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. Junior pitcher Lauren Derkowski was named Most Outstanding Player after fanning six and allowing one run in her third complete game of the tournament. She made the final out, knocking down a liner off the bat of Brianna Copeland and tossing to first. Copeland, who excelled in the circle as well, was one of five Hoosiers named to the all-tournament. Indiana (40-18), which appeared in its second-straight final, put the game's first run on the board on Aaliyah Andrew's RBI double in the top of the second. Michigan answered with a run in the fourth and two unearned runs in the bottom sixth. The NCAA Tournament field will be revealed on Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Tournament MOP Lauren Derkowski, Michigan All-Tournament Team Aaliyah Andrews, Indiana Brooke Benson, Indiana Alex Cooper, Indiana Brianna Copeland, Indiana Aly VanBrandt, Indiana Courtney Wyche, Maryland Lauren Derkowski, Michigan Ella McVey, Michigan Keke Tholl, Michigan Billie Andrews, Nebraska Hilary Blomberg, Wisconsin Tessa Magnanimo, Wisconsin

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Big Ten Conference

Michigan Claims 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament Title

Big Ten Comms

Photo by Matthew Putney IOWA CITY, Iowa — Indiana and Michigan advanced to the championship game of the 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament Presented by DirecTV with wins Friday at Pearl Field. No. 8 seed Indiana rallied from a three-run deficit to post a 9-3 win over No. 4 Nebraska in the first semifinal. The Hoosiers (40-17) were down to their last at-bats in the top of the seventh when Alex Cooper homered to force extra innings. Indiana sent 11 batters to the plate in pushing across six runs in the eighth, sparked by Brianna Copeland's three-run home run. Nebraska (30-23) opened a 3-0 lead behind a Billie Andrews home run and RBI single along with an Ava Bredwell home run. The Hoosiers return to the championship game for the second-straight year and become the first 8th-seed to reach the final since 2004. No. 2 Michigan earned a berth into the championship game for the third time in the last four Big Ten Tournaments with a 6-2 win over No. 11 Wisconsin in Friday's nightcap. Michigan (40-16) broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth and added three more runs in the fifth on Keke Tholl's home run which gave the first baseman four RBI on the night. Hilary Blomberg recorded a pair of hits and three RBI for Wisconsin (21-31). Michigan's Lauren Derkowski stuckout 11 batters in a complete game effort. The Wolverines and Hoosiers meet at 3 p.m. CT Saturday with BTN carrying the broadcast.

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Softball Tournament Update: Day 3

Emmerson Cope / Photo by Matthew Putney IOWA CITY, Iowa — The stage is set for the semifinals of the 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament Presented by DirecTV after four games were played on Thursday. In a rematch of last year's championship game, top seed Northwestern was upset by No. 8 Indiana, 4-3, marking the third-straight win by a lower seed in the tournament. Indiana (39-17) received hits from eight different players, scoring runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to build a 4-1 lead. Northwestern (33-11), which won the Big Ten regular season title, struck for two runs in the bottom sixth but were kept off the board in the seventh. Indiana will play its third game in as many days when it meets Nebraska on Friday at 4 p.m. No. 4 Nebraska used the long ball to run-rule No. 5 Minnesota, 11-2, in five innings. Big Ten Player of the Year Jess Oakland homered in Minnesota's first at-bat of the game before Nebraska (30-22) answered with Emmerson Cope's tape-measure shot that hit the top of the scoreboard at Pearl Field. SS Billie Andrews ended the contest with her second home run of the day and the 60th of her career. In the circle, Sarah Harness held the Gophers (28-25) to three hits. No. 2 Michigan put a 10-spot on No. 10 Maryland in a 10-0 run-rule contested decided in the fifth. Michigan scored all its runs in the fifth, which was capped by Avery Fantucci's grand slam to center field. Lauren Derkowski tossed a two-hitter for the Wolverines (39-16) while Courtney Wyche struck out seven in 4.1 innings of work for the Terrapins (24-30). Michigan will meet No. 11 Wisconsin tomorrow in a semifinal starting at 6:30 p.m. CT. Wisconsin turned away No. 3 Rutgers, 7-3, to continue a remarkable run at the tournament. The Badgers (21-30) are the lowest seed to ever make the Big Ten semifinals.Wisconsin scored four unearned runs in the fifth and added two more in the seventh. DP Hilary Blomberg went 3-for-5 with 5 RBI for the Badgers. LF Jillian Anderson led Rutgers (33-22) with three hits. Both of Friday's semifinal games will be carried live by BTN.

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Softball Tournament Update: Day 2

Photo by Matthew PutneyIOWA CITY, Iowa — Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin won opening round games as the Big Ten Softball Tournament Presented by DirecTV commenced Wednesday at Pearl Field. No. 8 seed Indiana defeated arch-rival and No. 9 seed Purdue, 6-3, in the first game of the day. The Hoosiers (38-17) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held off the Boilermakers (25-26), who scored three times in the fifth. IU's Brianna Copeland struckout nine over seven innings while 2B Aly VanBrandt went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Indiana will meet top seed Northwestern at 11 a.m. CT tomorrow in quarterfinal action. No. 5 seed Minnesota needed extra innings to down No. 12 seed Illinois, 10-7. Taylor Krapf connected on a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom ninth to propel Minnesota (28-24) into Thursday's quarterfinals. Four Gophers had multiple hits, led by Breezy Burnett's three singles. SS Megan Ward drove in three runs for the Illini (21-31). Minnesota will take on No. 4 seed Nebraska at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. In a pitchers' duel, No. 10 seed Maryland prevailed over No. 7 seed Penn State, 3-1. Diamond Williams drove in the winning run as the Terrapins (24-29) plated a pair of runs in the top ninth. Courtney Wyche tossed a complete-game three-hitter for Maryland, allowing just one run. For Penn State (34-18), Bridget Nemeth struckout six batters in a seven-hit, complete-game performance. Maryland will face No. 2 seed Michigan at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. No. 11 seed Wisconsin used the long ball and a four-run inning to power past No. 6 seed Ohio State, 5-1. Hilary Blomberg and Brooke Kuffel cleared the fences for Wisconsin while from the circle, Tessa Magnanimo struck out seven batters in a four-hit effort to improve to 11-1 on the season. Allison Smith allowed just three hits and fanned 10 batters in a losing effort for the Buckeyes (31-20). Wisconsin (20-30) will once again play under the lights tomorrow when it encounters No. 3 seed Rutgers at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

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Softball Tournament Update: Day 1

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced the full 12-team, single-elimination bracket for the 25th Big Ten Softball Tournament, presented by DirecTV that will take place May 8-11 at the University of Iowa’s Bob Pearl Field in Iowa City, Iowa.&nbsp;&nbsp;Northwestern (33-10, 19-3 Big Ten) is the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament after earning its 10th Big Ten Championship and third in a row on Sunday. The Wildcats have won three Big Ten Tournament titles (1982, 2008, 2023) and will open this year’s tournament on Thursday with a quarterfinal contest at 11 a.m. (CT) live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between No. 9 Purdue and No. 8 Indiana.&nbsp;&nbsp;Michigan (38-16, 17-5) is the No. 2 seed for this year’s Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines have won a conference-record 10 Big Ten Tournament championships, most recently in 2019. They will open this year’s Big Ten Tournament slate at 4:30 p.m. (CT) Thursday, playing live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between tenth-seeded Maryland and No. 7&nbsp;seed Penn State. &nbsp;&nbsp;Rutgers (33-21, 14-9) is the No. 3 seed for the Big Ten Tournament, the Scarlet Knights’ highest seed ever as part of their fifth Big Ten Tournament appearance. Rutgers opens postseason play with a quarterfinal matchup against the winner of No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 6 Ohio State on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) on Big Ten Network. &nbsp;Rounding out the top four seeds is Nebraska (29-22,12-9), claiming the last of the tournament byes into the quarterfinal round. Nebraska won its first Big Ten Tournament title in 2022 and will begin its postseason quest Thursday at 1:30 p.m. (CT), playing live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between No. 12 Illinois and fifth-seed Minnesota. &nbsp; All 11 games of this year’s Big Ten Tournament will not only be televised live to a national audience on the Big Ten Network, but will also be available on the FOX Sports app.&nbsp; For more information on this year’s tournament, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at <a href="http://www.bigten.org/softball">bigten.org/softball</a>.&nbsp; The 2024 Big Ten Softball Tournament, presented by DirecTV schedule is as follows:&nbsp;&nbsp;Wednesday, May 8 (First Round)&nbsp;Game 1 (#9 Purdue vs. #8 Indiana) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 2 (#12 Illinois vs. #5 Minnesota) – 1:30 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 3 (#10 Maryland vs. #7 Penn State) – 4:30 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 4 (#11 Wisconsin vs. #6 Ohio State) – 7 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;&nbsp;Thursday, May 9 (Quarterfinal)&nbsp;Game 5 (#1 Northwestern vs. Game 1 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 6 (#4 Nebraska vs. Game 2 winner) – 1:30 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 7 (#2 Michigan vs. Game 3 winner) – 4:30 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 8 (#3 Rutgers vs. Game 4 winner) – 7 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp; Friday, May 10 (Semifinals)&nbsp;Game 9 (Game 5 vs. Game 6 winner) – 4 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp;Game 10 (Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner) – 6:30 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp; Saturday, May 11 (Championship)&nbsp;Game 11 (Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner) – 3 p.m. CT (BTN)&nbsp; NOTES: All times Central (local to the site) … dates and times are approximate and subject to change … Big Ten Network (BTN) games are also available on the FOX Sports app … for more information, please visit the tournament web site at bigten.org/sb&nbsp;

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