Big 12 Softball Championship Returns in 2017

IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference has announced it will reinstate its softball championship beginning with the 2017 season. Last held in 2010, the postseason tournament will return to Oklahoma City in a two-day event, May 12 – 13. The Oklahoma City All Sports Association will partner with the Conference to host the championship.
 
The championship will include pool play for the top six teams and will be contested at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium Complex, site of the Conference’s previous 15 Championships and also home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
 
“The Big 12 is looking forward to bringing another competitive conference championship to a city that has an established history for Big 12 postseason events and is also a strong market for the sport of softball,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “We are excited to showcase the student-athletes and level of play in our conference as well as enhance the Big 12 softball brand.”
 
Although the 1996-97 academic year was technically the inaugural season of the Big 12, the 1996 Big 12 Softball Championship was the very first conference championship for the league with Oklahoma claiming the crown. Of the current league membership, OU and Texas have won the postseason title four times each, while Kansas won the championship in 2006.
 
Seven conference members sponsor the sport of softball – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech. The Big 12 has totaled 16 Women’s College World Series appearances since its inception with 84 overall NCAA postseason berths. Oklahoma has claimed two national titles under the Big 12 flag (2013, ’00) and advanced to the WCWS four of the past five years.
 
In addition to its 15 Big 12 Softball Championships, Oklahoma City has played host to 16 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championships (1997- 2001, ’03, ’05-’14), a pair of Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championships (’09, ’07), three Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championships (’07, ’09, ’14) and three Big 12 Rowing Championships (’10, ’12, ’14).
 
Oklahoma City will also be home to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship through the 2018-19 season as well as play host to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship through 2020. Additionally, the Big 12 and Oklahoma City have co-hosted seven NCAA Championship events since 2003.
 
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