While many had grown to associate the new Globe Life Field with the Big 12 baseball tournament, that is about to change. Going from one Texas Rangers facility to another, the Big 12 Conference announced on Monday that Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, would begin hosting the Big 12 Baseball Championship in 2026. Read more Big 12 Conference baseball tournament to move to Surprise Stadium beginning in 2026.
The 40,300 seater has played hosts to the Big 12 Championships in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, but the event will downsize starting in 2026 to the 10,714 capacity stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
Draper on the Change
Big 12 Chief Competition Officer Scott Draper stated that the conference was looking forward to their premier baseball event’s new home.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with REV Entertainment as the Big 12 Baseball Championship moves to a world-class venue in Arizona. Surprise Stadium is a premier facility that will create a great atmosphere and experience for our student-athletes and fans.”
Surprise Stadium opened on December 8, 2002 and has hosted spring training games for the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers since 2003. In addition the facility has played host to numerous Arizona Fall League teams since 2005, starting with the Surprise Scorpions and Grand Canyon Rafters in 2005.
Though the Scorpions moved away after a year, the Rafters changed their name to the Surprise Rafters in 2007, remaining there until 2010, when they moved away and were replaced by the Surprise Saguaros who have played there since 2011. The Surprise Fightin’ Falcons of the Golden Baseball League also called Surprise Stadium home in 2005.
An Exciting New Chapter
Jared Schrom, Senior Vice President of REV Entertainment touched on it being a new home for the Championships, adding that they look forward to many years there.
“Bringing the Big 12 Baseball Championship to Surprise Stadium represents an exciting new chapter in our partnership with the Big 12 Conference and the City of Surprise. We look forward to creating a new tradition in Arizona starting in 2026.”
This will mark the furthest west the championship has ever happened, with past editions happening mostly in Oklahoma City since 1997, with the exception of Tulsa in 2015 and Arlington in 2002, 2004, and since 2022.
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Former Big 12 members Texas have the most titles with five, while Nebraska, Oklahoma State and TCU are tied with four titles apiece in second. Oklahoma and Texas A&M each have three titles, while Missouri, Baylor, Texas Tech and Kansas have all won it once. West Virginia has a record of 14-18 in the tournament, having lost the 2016 final 11-10 to TCU and falling 5-2 to Oklahoma State in the 2019 final, both under Randy Mazey. Although WVU has failed to capture the Big 12 postseason crown to date, the Mountaineers have won five conference championships, triumphing in the Atlantic 10 Conference’s 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1994 championships, before winning the Big East Tournament in 1996.
The final edition at Globe Life Field is set to begin on Wednesday morning, with a 9 a.m. showdown between No. 5 seed Arizona State and No. 12 seed BYU starting off the first round.
Big 12 Conference baseball tournament to move to Surprise Stadium beginning in 2026
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