2022 Big Ten Softball Tournament Bracket Announced
Northwestern earns top seed for tournament that will be played May 11-14 at Michigan State
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten Conference has announced the full 12-team, single-elimination bracket for the 23rd Big Ten Softball Tournament that will take place May 11-14 at Secchia Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.
Northwestern (39-9, 19-4 Big Ten) is the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament after earning its eighth Big Ten Championship and first since 2008 earlier this weekend. The Wildcats have won two Big Ten Tournament titles (1982, 2008) and will open this year’s tournament on Thursday with a quarterfinal contest at 4:30 p.m. (ET) live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between No. 8 seed Wisconsin and No. 9 seed Minnesota.
Nebraska (37-14, 17-5) is the No. 2 seed for this year’s Big Ten Tournament after the Huskers posted their best conference finish since 2014, when they earned a share of the Big Ten title. Nebraska is seeking its first Big Ten Tournament championship and will begin its postseason schedule at 11 a.m. (ET) Thursday with a tournament quarterfinal game live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between No. 7 seed Penn State and 10th-seeded Indiana.
Illinois (34-19, 15-7) earned the No. 3 seed for the Big Ten Tournament, their highest seed at the event since 2004. The Fighting Illini also registered their best conference finish (third) since 2011, when they also finished third. Like Nebraska, Illinois is in search of its first Big Ten Tournament title and will start this year’s quest for the crown at 1:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday live on the Big Ten Network with a quarterfinal game against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round contest between No. 6 seed Ohio State and 11th-seeded Purdue.
Rounding out the top four seeds is defending Big Ten Tournament champion Michigan (34-15, 14-8), which claimed the last of the tournament byes into the quarterfinal round. The Wolverines have won a conference-record 10 Big Ten Tournament championships, most recently the last time the tournament was played in 2019. They will open this year’s Big Ten Tournament slate at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday in the last quarterfinal, playing live on the Big Ten Network against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between fifth-seeded Maryland and No. 12 seed (and tournament host) Michigan State.
All 11 games of this year’s Big Ten Tournament will be televised live to a national audience on the Big Ten Network, as well as on the FOX Sports app.
For more information on this year’s tournament, visit the Big Ten Tournament Central page at bigten.org/softball.
The 2022 Big Ten Softball Tournament schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, May 11 (First Round)
Game 1 (#7 Penn State vs. #10 Rutgers) – 11 a.m. ET (BTN)
Game 2 (#6 Ohio State vs. #11 Purdue) – 1:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 3 (#8 Wisconsin vs. #9 Minnesota) – 4:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 4 (#5 Maryland vs. #12 Michigan State) – 7 p.m. ET (BTN)
Thursday, May 12 (Quarterfinal)
Game 5 (#2 Nebraska vs. Game 1 winner) – 11 a.m. ET (BTN)
Game 6 (#3 Illinois vs. Game 2 winner) – 1:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 7 (#1 Northwestern vs. Game 3 winner) – 4:30 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 8 (#4 Michigan vs. Game 4 winner) – 7 p.m. ET (BTN)
Friday, May 13 (Semifinals)
Game 9 (Game 5 vs. Game 6 winner) – 2 p.m. ET (BTN)
Game 10 (Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner) – 5 p.m. ET (BTN)
Saturday, May 14 (Championship)
Game 11 (Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner) – 1 p.m. ET (BTN)
NOTES: All 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/softball.
