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Scottsdale to host inaugural Pac-12 baseball tourney in 2022

Posted 8/25/21

The Pac-12 announced Wednesday the creation of a baseball conference championship in partnership with the city of Scottsdale and The Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission.

The inaugural …

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Sports

Scottsdale to host inaugural Pac-12 baseball tourney in 2022

Posted

The Pac-12 announced Wednesday the creation of a baseball conference championship in partnership with the city of Scottsdale and The Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission.

The inaugural Pac-12 Baseball Tournament is scheduled for May 25-29, 2022, at Scottsdale Stadium.

“The Pac-12 Baseball Tournament is a marquee event that will serve to enhance the exposure of the conference’s baseball programs with competitive, late-season matchups prior to NCAA Tournament selections,” Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff said in a press release. “It will also provide student-athletes with a first-class experience and the opportunity to compete for a championship in a premier destination for the sport on the West Coast.”

Scottsdale Stadium is the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants.

“Scottsdale Stadium is the perfect venue for the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament,” said City of Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega said in a press release. “Our city has a long history with Major League Baseball, including a nearly 40-year relationship with the San Francisco Giants, and we’re ecstatic to be able to add Pac-12 baseball to the mix.”

The tournament could mean a big boost to tourism in a Valley city that banks on visitors arriving throughout the winter and spring. A Pac-12 event will join other high-profile events ranging from the Waste Management Phoenix Open to the Barrett-Jackson car auction during next spring.

“Experience Scottsdale is thrilled the Pac-12 chose Scottsdale as the site of its inaugural baseball championship,” Experience Scottsdale President and CEO Rachel Sacco said in a press release. “Ever since baseball became a fixture in Scottsdale in the 1950s, there has always been excitement in the air when baseball players, coaches and fans arrive in our city.”

The double-elimination tournament will be spread over five days. The top eight teams in the conference standings at the conclusion of the regular season will earn berths in the tournament, from which the champion will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12’s initial agreement with the city of Scottsdale runs through 2024.

“Creating this tournament is a meaningful way to showcase Pac-12 baseball at an important time of the year,” said Stanford University’s Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer, who has been involved with Pac-12 baseball for more than 30 years as a player and coach.

“This conference championship will be a wonderful celebration of Pac-12 baseball in an incredible venue,” said Washington Director of Athletics and member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee Jennifer Cohen. “Providing our student-athletes a chance to compete on this stage will help to broaden the exposure of the league's programs and elevate the Pac-12 baseball brand.”

The Pac-12 is coming off of a season in which six teams earned NCAA Tournament bids, tied for the second-highest total in league history, including three regional hosts for the sixth time since national seeding began in 1999. The conference has had a representative in all but seven NCAA College World Series fields since the championship began in 1947 and in 39 of those championships, a Pac-12 team has finished either first or second. 

USC has more NCAA titles than any other school in the nation with 12 and Arizona State is fourth with five. Four other Pac-12 schools have claimed at least two national titles, including Arizona (four), Oregon STate (three), California (two) and Stanford (two).

Pac-12 programs account for six of the 15 schools that have captured multiple college baseball national championships, double the number of schools of any other conference. 

Additional details about the 2022 Pac-12 Baseball Tournament will be announced at a later date.