List of Big Ten Conference baseball champions explained

The Big Ten Conference has been playing baseball since 1896. From 1896 to 1980 the conference champion was determined by the team or teams with the best record. In 1981 the Big Ten Conference baseball tournament was established to decide its champion. The conference also split the 10 schools into two divisions: East and West. In 1988 the conference went back to a single division but still used the tournament to determine the champion. In 1993 the conference returned to using the regular season to name its champion while the team that wins the tournament receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

Champions

These are the official Big Ten champions based on standings, the system used from 1896 to 1980 and from 1993 to the present. (From 1981 to 1992, the champion was determined by the conference tournament.)

YearChampionNational ChampionshipNotes
Chicago Only,,, and compete.
Chicago
Chicago First season competed.
Michigan
Illinois
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Illinois
Michigan
Illinois First season,,, and competed.
Illinois
Illinois
Purdue
Illinois
Illinois
Wisconsin
Chicago First season competed.
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan
Illinois
Illinois
Michigan
Michigan
Ohio State
Indiana
Michigan
Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Indiana
Minnesota
Illinois
Minnesota
Michigan
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Iowa
Illinois
Northwestern
Michigan
Iowa
Michigan
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan
Wisconsin Last season Chicago competed.
Illinois Tie games began counting as 1/2 a win and 1/2 a loss.
Illinois
Michigan
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan
Wisconsin
Ohio State First season competed.
Illinois
Michigan
Illinois
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Minnesota Minnesota
Northwestern
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota Minnesota
Michigan
Illinois Michigan
Illinois
Minnesota Minnesota
Ohio State
Ohio State Ohio State
Ohio State
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Michigan State
Iowa
Minnesota
Minnesota
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan
Michigan Big Ten tournament winner declared conference champion.
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan
Minnesota
Michigan
Michigan
Minnesota
Illinois
Illinois
Ohio State Last season Wisconsin competed.
Minnesota First season competed.
Ohio State Regular season winner declared conference champion.
Big Ten tournament used to determine NCAA automatic qualifier only.
Ohio State
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan
Illinois
Ohio State
Minnesota
Ohio State
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota
Illinois
Michigan
Michigan
Michigan
Ohio State
Minnesota
Michigan State
Illinois
Purdue First season competed.
Indiana
Indiana
Illinois First season and competed.
Minnesota
Nebraska
Minnesota
Indiana
Season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
Nebraska
Maryland
Maryland
Illinois
,,, and will begin league play.[1]

Championships by school

School Big Ten
Championships
Years
Michigan35 1899, 1901, 1905, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1936, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1961, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008
Illinois31 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1927, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1962, 1963, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2024
Minnesota241933, 1935, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2016, 2018
Ohio State15 1917, 1924, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2009
Iowa7 1927, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1949, 1972, 1974
Indiana7 1925, 1932, 1938, 1949, 2013, 2014, 2019
Wisconsin5 1902, 1912, 1930, 1946, 1950
Chicago4 1896, 1897, 1898, 1913
Michigan State4 1954, 1971, 1979, 2011
Northwestern2 1940, 1957
Purdue2 1909, 2012
Nebraska2 2017, 2021
Maryland2 2022, 2023
Penn State1 1996
Rutgers0

Italics indicates a team no longer competing in baseball in the Big Ten.

Bold indicates an outright Big Ten championship.

See also

List of Big Ten Conference softball champions

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Big Ten adds Oregon, Washington as newest members in blow to Pac-12 . December 2, 2023 . ESPN=en.