The Big Ten Conference has been playing softball since 1982 when the Big Ten Conference softball tournament was established to decide its champion. The Big Ten then began league play the following season in 1983 while eliminating the tournament until 1995. The tournament ran again from 1995 to 2008 and then again from 2013 to present day, which is used to determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship while the regular season determines the conference champion.
These are the official Big Ten champions based on standings.[1] 1982 was the only year the conference tournament was used to determine the champion. After that, the regular season determined the champion while the tournament held from 1983 to 1994 and 2009-13 was used only to determine the automatic bid into the NCAA Division I softball tournament.
| Year | Regular Season Champion | Conference Tournament Champion | National Championship | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Northwestern | Big Ten softball tournament only. Teams from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Ohio State participate.[2] | ||
| Indiana | – | Tournament eliminated, first regular season of conference play. ,,,, ,, and compete. | ||
| Northwestern | – | |||
| Northwestern | – | |||
| Indiana Minnesota Northwestern | – | |||
| Northwestern | – | |||
| Minnesota | – | |||
| Iowa | – | |||
| Iowa Ohio State | – | |||
| Minnesota | – | |||
| Michigan | – | begins league play.[3] | ||
| Michigan | – | |||
| Indiana | – | |||
| Michigan | Michigan | Conference tournament resumes in double-elimination format. begins league play.[4] | ||
| Michigan | Michigan | begins league play.[5] | ||
| Iowa | Michigan | |||
| Michigan | Michigan | |||
| Michigan | Minnesota | |||
| Iowa | Michigan | |||
| Michigan | Iowa | begins league play.[6] | ||
| Michigan | Michigan | |||
| Iowa | Iowa | |||
| Michigan | Michigan State | |||
| Michigan | Michigan | Michigan | First (and to-date only) Big Ten softball National Champion[7] | |
| Northwestern | Michigan | Northwestern (runner-up) | ||
| Ohio State | Ohio State | |||
| Michigan Northwestern | Northwestern | |||
| Michigan | – | Conference tournament eliminated again. | ||
| Michigan | – | |||
| Michigan | – | |||
| Michigan | – | begins league play.[8] | ||
| Michigan | Wisconsin | Conference tournament resumes in single-elimination format. | ||
| Michigan Nebraska | Minnesota | |||
| Michigan | Michigan | and begin league play.[9] [10] | ||
| Michigan | Minnesota | |||
| Minnesota | Minnesota | |||
| Michigan | Minnesota | |||
| Michigan | Michigan | |||
| Season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | ||||
| Michigan | – | Conference tournament canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. | ||
| Northwestern | Nebraska | |||
| Northwestern | Northwestern | |||
| Northwestern | Michigan | |||
| ,, and will begin league play.[11] | ||||
| School | Big Ten Championships Reg. Season/Tournament | Regular Season Championships | Tournament Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 0/0 | ||
| Indiana | 3/0 | 1983, 1986*, 1994 | |
| Iowa | 5/2 | 1989, 1990*, 1997, 2000, 2003 | 2001, 2003 |
| Maryland | 0/0 | ||
| Michigan | 22/11 | 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2008*, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014*, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2019, 2024 |
| Michigan State | 0/1 | 2004 | |
| Minnesota | 4/5 | 1986*, 1988, 1991, 2017 | 1999, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| Nebraska | 1/1 | 2014 | 2022 |
| Northwestern | 8/3 | 1984, 1985, 1986*, 1987, 2006, 2008*, 2022, 2023 | 1982, 2008, 2023 |
| Ohio State | 2/1 | 1990*, 2007 | 2007 |
| Penn State | 0/0 | ||
| Purdue | 0/0 | ||
| Rutgers | 0/0 | ||
| Wisconsin | 0/1 | 2013 | |
List of Big Ten Conference baseball champions