CHICAGO, Ill. – BTN will offer its most extensive baseball and softball coverage ever in 2016, with over 360 games airing on BTN/BTN2Go and BTN Plus for the upcoming season.
BTN’s television coverage of Big Ten baseball begins with a non-conference showdown between Purdue and No. 5 Louisville onWednesday, March 23 at 6 p.m. ET. Last season, Illinois won its 30th outright Big Ten title, but Michigan won the Big Ten Tournament Championship and appeared in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. The Big Ten coaches voted the Wolverines as the 2016 conference favorite, however they figure to face stiff competition from both Maryland and Indiana. The Terrapins ended a 43-year NCAA tournament drought in 2014 and have now appeared in back-to-back super regionals, and the Hoosiers have made three straight regionals.
BTN’s television coverage of Big Ten softball begins Friday, March 25, when Maryland visits Ohio State and 6 p.m. ET. No. 2 Michigan, last season’s league and Big Ten Tournament champion, debuts on BTN on Friday, April 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET against No. 23 Nebraska.
Highlights and coverage of Big Ten baseball and softball will be featured on This Week in the Big Ten, which airs Sunday nights beginning on April 3. Hosts Rick Pizzo, Mike Hall and various analysts will discuss Big Ten matchups and breakout performances from the weekend’s games. The Diamond Report will return with airings during the baseball and softball tournaments.
Below is a preliminary schedule, with more games to be added to the TV schedule at a later date. The preliminary BTN Plus streaming schedule can be viewed here.
BTN/ BTN2Go 2016 Baseball Schedule
| Date | Visiting Team | Home Team | Time (ET) |
| March 23, 2016 | Louisville | Purdue | 6:00 PM |
| March 25, 2016 | Rutgers | Michigan State | 3:00 PM |
| March 26, 2016 | Penn State | Illinois | 4:00 PM |
| March 27, 2016 | Northwestern | Ohio State | Noon |
| March 29, 2016 | Creighton | Nebraska | 7:30 PM |
| April 3, 2016 | Iowa | Minnesota | 3:00 PM |
| April 8, 2016 | Ohio State | Maryland | 5:30 PM |
| April 10, 2016 | Purdue | Indiana | 3:00 PM |
| April 15, 2016 | Nebraska | Michigan | 6:00 PM |
| April 17, 2016 | Iowa | Indiana | 3:00 PM |
| April 24, 2016 | Indiana | Michigan State | 3:00 PM |
| April 29, 2016 | Michigan State | Michigan | 6:00 PM |
| April 30, 2016 | Maryland | Penn State | 2:00 PM |
| May 1, 2016 | Northwestern | Indiana | 3:00 PM |
| May 7, 2016 | Purdue | Northwestern | 3:00 PM |
| May 7, 2016 | Rutgers | Michigan | 6:00 PM |
| May 9, 2016 | Nebraska | Michigan State | 1:00 PM |
| May 15, 2016 | Rutgers | Maryland | 12:00 PM |
| May 15, 2016 | Michigan | Ohio State | 3:00 PM |
| May 19, 2016 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| May 20, 2016 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| May 21, 2016 | Michigan | Illinois | 4:00 PM |
| May 21, 2016 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| May 25, 2016 | Game #1 | Game #1 | TBD |
| May 25, 2016 | Game #2 | Game #2 | TBD |
| May 25, 2016 | Game #3 | Game #3 | TBD |
| May 25, 2016 | Game #4 | Game #4 | TBD |
| May 26, 2016 | Game #5 | Game #5 | TBD |
| May 26, 2016 | Game #6 | Game #6 | TBD |
| May 26, 2016 | Game #7 | Game #7 | TBD |
| May 26, 2016 | Game #8 | Game #8 | TBD |
| May 27, 2016 | Game #9 | Game #9 | TBD |
| May 27, 2016 | Game #10 | Game #10 | TBD |
| May 28, 2016 | Semifinal #1 | Semifinal #1 | TBD |
| May 28, 2016 | Semifinal #2 | Semifinal #2 | TBD |
| May 28, 2016 | Semifinal #3 (If Necessary) | Semifinal #3 (If Necessary) | TBD |
| May 28, 2016 | Semifinal #4 (If Necessary) | Semifinal #4 (If Necessary) | TBD |
| May 29, 2016 | Championship | Championship | TBD |
BTN/ BTN2Go 2016 Softball Schedule
| Date | Visiting Team | Home Team | Time (ET) |
| March 25, 2016 | Maryland | Ohio State | 6:00 PM |
| April 2, 2016 | Michigan State | Penn State | 3:00 PM |
| April 3, 2016 | Rutgers | Illinois | 1:00 PM |
| April 5, 2016 | Indiana | Purdue | 3:00 PM |
| April 5, 2016 | Indiana | Purdue | 5:30 PM |
| April 6, 2016 | Penn State | Ohio State | 4:00 PM |
| April 6, 2016 | Penn State | Ohio State | 6:30 PM |
| April 8, 2016 | Michigan | Nebraska | 8:30 PM |
| April 10, 2016 | Michigan | Nebraska | 1:00 PM |
| April 12, 2016 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | 5:00 PM |
| April 12, 2016 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | 7:30 PM |
| April 13, 2016 | Northwestern | Illinois | 6:00 PM |
| April 13, 2016 | Northwestern | Illinois | 8:30 PM |
| April 17, 2016 | Ohio State | Michigan | 1:00 PM |
| April 20, 2016 | Rutgers | Maryland | 3:00 PM |
| April 20, 2016 | Rutgers | Maryland | 5:30 PM |
| April 22, 2016 | Maryland | Michigan | 6:00 PM |
| April 24, 2016 | Nebraska | Minnesota | 1:00 PM |
| April 29, 2016 | Northwestern | Wisconsin | 4:00 PM |
| May 1, 2016 | Iowa | Illinois | 1:00 PM |
| May 7, 2016 | TBD | TBD | 1:00 PM |
| May 8, 2016 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| May 12, 2016 | Game #1 | Game #1 | 12:00 PM |
| May 12, 2016 | Game #2 | Game #2 | 2:30 PM |
| May 12, 2016 | Game #3 | Game #3 | 5:30 PM |
| May 12, 2016 | Game #4 | Game #4 | 8:00 PM |
| May 13, 2016 | Quarterfinal #1 | Quarterfinal #1 | 12:00 PM |
| May 13, 2016 | Quarterfinal #2 | Quarterfinal #2 | 2:30 PM |
| May 13, 2016 | Quarterfinal #3 | Quarterfinal #3 | 5:30 PM |
| May 13, 2016 | Quarterfinal #4 | Quarterfinal #4 | 8:00 PM |
| May 14, 2016 | Semifinal #1 | Semifinal #1 | 1:00 PM |
| May 14, 2016 | Semifinal #2 | Semifinal #2 | 3:30 PM |
| May 14, 2016 | Championship | Championship | 6:30 PM |
