By DJ Ramirez | Sports Editor
The Big 12 Baseball Championship is coming back to Texas.
Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark, will serve as the site for the Big 12 Baseball Championship Tournament from 2022 to 2024, the Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday morning.
But Big 12 baseball fans don’t have to say goodbye to Oklahoma yet. Oklahoma City’s Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark will still be host to the tournament at the end of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
The league has played 20 of its 23 championships in Oklahoma City, with Tulsa, Okla., serving as host in 2015 and Arlington taking a couple of turns in 2002 and 2004.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in the release that the league is excited for the upcoming tournaments.
“Oklahoma City and Arlington have a successful history of hosting Big 12 championships,” Bowlsby said. “We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with Oklahoma City in hosting our baseball championship at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and also look forward to playing in the new home of the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.”
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and has been recognized as one of the best facilities in the country by several national publications, including Baseball America.
Baylor baseball is the only school in the Big 12 conference to participate in every Big 12 tournament. The Bears finally clinched the title in 2018, reaching the championship game against Texas Christian University after wins over Oklahoma and Kansas. It was a close game that went into extra innings, but a walk-off single by Bears catcher Shea Langeliers earned Baylor the trophy.
The Bears returned to Oklahoma City in 2019 as the No. 2 seed but were ultimately eliminated by TCU in the second round after a win over the Sooners and a loss to Oklahoma State.
Baylor begins their non-conference slate Feb. 14 at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears will play eight straight home games before heading down to Houston for the Shriners College Classic. After a road to California to face Cal Poly, Baylor will return to Waco to close out the non-conference part of its schedule against Grand Canyon University. The Bears will then start Big 12 play against the Kansas State Wildcats March 20-22 at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
