The 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament, presented by Allstate, will open on Tuesday, May 19, at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The event marks the first edition of the tournament under the new single‑elimination structure that the conference has adopted for its baseball championship.
Kansas entered the tournament as the top seed, followed by West Virginia, Arizona State and UCF rounding out the top four. The seeding reflects each team’s regular‑season performance and, in the case of Arizona State, a tiebreaker advantage over UCF that secured the third spot.
West Virginia earned a double bye as the second seed, while Arizona State’s No. 3 seed came with the benefit of holding the tiebreaker over UCF. UCF, seeded fourth, will open play against Oklahoma State, the fifth‑seeded team.
The bracket continues with TCU scheduled to meet the winner of the matchup between the tenth‑seeded Utah and eleventh‑seeded Kansas State. Meanwhile, Baylor secured the eighth seed and will receive the final single bye in the first round.
All games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and ESPN2, giving fans nationwide access to the action. The first pitch of the tournament is set for 6:30 p.m. Eastern on May 19, with the opening game featuring Kansas against the lowest‑seeded opponent.
Broadcast and Schedule Details
The tournament’s broadcast plan pairs ESPN+ with ESPN2 to cover every contest, ensuring that viewers can follow the action across both platforms. Early‑round games begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, while later fixtures shift to a 10 p.m. start to accommodate prime‑time audiences.