OKC hosts Big 12 baseball tournament
Journal Record
May 21, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City has long been the home of conference baseball championships, and the Big 12 comes to town again beginning today.

The Big 12 Baseball Championship starts at 9 a.m. at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. Jordan Satarawala, director of events for pre-tournament host Oklahoma City All Sports Association, said this year’s gathering marks the 10th Big 12 Championship for the city. The event has twice been in Arlington, Texas, but the rest of the Big 12’s existence, it’s been here.

All Sports Stadium at the state fairgrounds hosted the Big Eight tournament for 23straight years from 1974 through 1996.“We are the official home of Big 12 Baseball and we have a contract through 2011,” Satarawala said. “The All Sports Association is the local host and facilitates all the needs of the conference with all the pre-tournament planning. The Big 12 takes over once the championship begins.”

The association’s board members are team hosts and umpire coordinators. “The estimated economic impact of the Big 12 Championship is $8 million a year,” Satarawala said. “It helps that it went to pool play three years ago. That means the first, fourth, fifth and eighth seeds play in one group and the second, third, sixth and seventh seeds play in the other group. Every team is guaranteed three games through Saturday, which helps keep people here. For instance, if a team goes 0-3, they are still here through Saturday.

”The winners of each group play for the championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The tournament features the top eight teams in the conference. Ten Big 12 teams have baseball programs. The Big 12’s coffers got a break last week when Oklahoma rallied to get into the tournament, Satarawala said.

Games today are No. 4 Missouri vs. No. 5 Texas at 9 a.m., No. 1 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m., No. 3 Nebraska vs. No. 6 Baylor at 4 p.m. and No. 2Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Kansas State, 7:30 p.m..

Thursday’s schedule includes Texas A&M vs. Texas at 4 p.m. and Missouri vs. Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m., and Friday’s lineup includes Nebraska vs. Kansas State at 4 p.m. and Oklahoma State vs. Baylor at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s action includes Texas vs. Oklahoma at 9 a.m., Texas A&M vs. Missouri at 12:30 p.m., Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska at 4 p.m. and Baylor vs. Kansas State at 7:30 p.m.

If the fuel prices have you staying at home for the holiday weekend, this is the perfect all-weekend event you and your whole family can enjoy. I'm glad every team is guaranteed to play through Saturday. Even though OKC residents would support the tourney without OU, it's nice they can see them along with OSU.

As much as I enjoy watching the pros duke it out, there's nothing like watching balls fly off of aluminum bats.

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