Spartans Headed to Clemson for 2020 B1G/ACC Softball Challenge
7/11/2019 1:13:00 PM | Softball
MSU to participate in fifth annual event.
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State will participate in the 2020 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, heading to Clemson, SC to take on Pitt and the host Tigers.
The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences announced the matchups on Tuesday. The fifth annual event will take place Feb. 14-16, 2020, and has been expanded to feature 10 schools from each conference, with each program playing four games each at five campus sites.
The Spartans participated in the 2019 edition last spring, playing games against Boston College and Georgia Tech at the Yellow Jackets home field in Atlanta.
In addition, two schools from each conference will compete in the second annual ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., from Feb. 13-16, 2020. Minnesota, which advanced to the 2019 NCAA Women's College World Series, will be joined by 2019 NCAA regional champion Northwestern in representing the Big Ten at this year's ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, while Florida State and Virginia Tech will take part on behalf of the ACC. The head-to-head results between Big Ten and ACC schools at that event will count towards the final Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge standings.
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin will be the Big Ten softball programs competing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Five ACC schools will serve as the host sites for this year's Challenge — Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and NC State — with the other ACC participants being Boston College, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse.
The Big Ten and ACC have each won twice during the first four years of the Challenge. The Big Ten came away victorious in both 2016 and 2019, earning last year's crown by a 23-13 count. Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Wisconsin all went 4-0 to lead the Big Ten effort in the 2019 Challenge.
The Big Ten and ACC offices collaborate to determine the schedule each season. In addition, the official title of the Challenge rotates each year. The 2020 event will be referred to as the Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge and will continue to mirror the official title of the conferences' Challenge agreements for men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball.
Exact game dates and times, as well as television and online coverage, will be announced at a later date. The 2020 Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge participants and site assignments can be found below.
2020 Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge
(all games to be played Feb. 14-16, 2020 except where noted)
At Clearwater, Fla. (ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational – to be played Feb. 13-16, 2020)
(results between Big Ten and ACC schools will count towards Challenge standings)
Big Ten – Minnesota, Northwestern
ACC – Florida State, Virginia Tech
At Chapel Hill, N.C. (host – North Carolina)
Big Ten – Michigan, Wisconsin
ACC – Louisville, North Carolina
At Raleigh, N.C. (host – NC State)
Big Ten – Illinois, Ohio State
ACC – NC State, Notre Dame
At Durham, N.C. (host – Duke)
Big Ten – Indiana, Rutgers
ACC – Duke, Syracuse
At Atlanta, Ga. (host – Georgia Tech)
Big Ten – Iowa, Nebraska
ACC – Boston College, Georgia Tech
At Clemson, S.C. (host – Clemson)
Big Ten – Maryland, Michigan State
ACC – Clemson, Pitt
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