| Big East Conference softball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference softball championship | |
| Sport | Softball |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Parkway Bank Sports Complex |
| Current location | Rosemont, Illinois |
| Played | 1990–present |
| Last contest | 2026 |
| Current champion | UConn |
| Most championships | UConn (9) |
| Host stadiums | |
| The Ballpark at Rosemont (2014–17, 2022, 2026) Glay Field (2022) Connecticut Softball Stadium (1992–93, 1997, 1999, 2021, 2023) USF Softball Stadium (2013) Melissa Cook Stadium (2012) Ulmer Stadium (2008–11) Ivy Field (1998, 2005–07) SU Softball Stadium (2004) Moyer Field (2002–03) VU Softball Stadium (2001) Shea Softball Field (1990–91, 1996, 2000) Regal Field (1994–95) | |
| Host locations | |
| Rosemont, IL (2014–17, 2022, 2026) Providence, RI (2022) Storrs, CT (1992–93, 1997, 1999, 2021, 2023) Tampa, FL (2013) Notre Dame, IN (1998, 2005–07, 2012) Louisville, KY (2008–11) Syracuse, NY (2004) Salem, VA (2002–03) Villanova, PA (2001) Chestnut Hill, MA (1990–91, 1996, 2000) Notre Dame, IN (1998) Jamaica, NY (1994–95) | |
The Big East Conference softball tournament (sometimes known simply as the Big East Tournament) is the conference championship tournament in college softball for the Big East Conference. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament.[1][2][3]
Tournament
The top four regular season finishers compete in the single-elimination tournament. Beginning with the tournament's inception in 1990, four teams competed in the tournament. From 2006 through 2013, the top eight teams qualified for the event. Beginning in 2014, after the conference split, the Big East reverted to the four-team tournament. After the COVID-19 pandemic and with the return of UConn to the conference, the tournament expanded again to a six-team event, with the top two seeds receiving a single bye.[4]
Champions
Year-by-year
| Year | School | Venue | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Connecticut | Shea Softball Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | Sue Rybczyk, Connecticut |
| 1991 | Connecticut | Shea Softball Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | Janna Venice, Connecticut |
| 1992 | Connecticut | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Kim Mizesko, Connecticut |
| 1993 | Connecticut | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Janna Venice, Connecticut |
| 1994 | Providence | Regal Field • Jamaica, NY | Kim Robbins, Providence |
| 1995 | Connecticut | Regal Field • Jamaica, NY | Bridgett McCaffery, Connecticut |
| 1996 | Connecticut | Shea Softball Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | Bridgett McCaffery, Connecticut |
| 1997 | Boston College | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Mary Dietz, Boston College |
| 1998 | Boston College | Ivy Field • Notre Dame, IN | Chris Vicari, Boston College |
| 1999 | Notre Dame | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Jennifer Sharron, Notre Dame |
| 2000 | Notre Dame | Shea Softball Field • Chestnut Hill, MA | Melanie Alkire, Notre Dame |
| 2001 | Connecticut | VU Softball Stadium • Villanova, PA | Barb Cook, Connecticut |
| 2002 | Notre Dame | Moyer Field • Salem, VA | Andrea Loman, Notre Dame |
| 2003 | Notre Dame | Moyer Field • Salem, VA | Andrea Loman, Notre Dame |
| 2004 | Seton Hall | SU Softball Stadium • Syracuse, NY | Megan Meyer, Seton Hall |
| 2005 | Seton Hall | Ivy Field • Notre Dame, IN | Megan Meyer, Seton Hall |
| 2006 | Notre Dame | Ivy Field • Notre Dame, IN | Heather Booth, Notre Dame |
| 2007 | Louisville | Ivy Field • Notre Dame, IN | Kristen Wadwell, Louisville |
| 2008 | DePaul | Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY | Becca Heteniak, DePaul |
| 2009 | Notre Dame | Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY | Brittney Bargar, Notre Dame |
| 2010 | Syracuse | Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY | Jenna Caira, Syracuse |
| 2011 | Syracuse | Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY | Jenna Caira, Syracuse |
| 2012 | Louisville | Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | Jordan Trimble, Louisville |
| 2013 | South Florida | USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL | Sara Nevins, South Florida |
| 2014 | DePaul | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Kristen Verdun, DePaul[5] |
| 2015 | St. John's | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Krista Puga, St. John's[6] |
| 2016 | Butler | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Sarah Dixon, Butler[7] |
| 2017 | DePaul | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Dylan Christensen, DePaul[8] |
| 2018 | DePaul | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Megan Leyva, DePaul |
| 2019 | DePaul | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Natalie Halvorson, DePaul |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Villanova | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Paige Rauch, Villanova |
| 2022 | Villanova | The Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL | Paige Rauch, Villanova |
| 2023 | Seton Hall | Connecticut Softball Stadium • Storrs, CT | Shelby Smith, Seton Hall |
| 2024 | Villanova | Glay Field • Providence, RI | Caroline Pellicano, Villanova |
| 2025 | UConn | Villanova Softball Complex • Villanova, PA | Payton Kinney, Connecticut |
| 2026 | UConn | Parkway Bank Sports Complex • Rosemont, IL | Jessica Walter, Connecticut |
By school
| School | Championships | Years |
|---|---|---|
| UConn[a] | 9 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2025, 2026 |
| Notre Dame | 6 | 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009 |
| DePaul | 5 | 2008, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Seton Hall | 3 | 2004, 2005, 2023 |
| Villanova | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Boston College | 2 | 1997, 1998 |
| Louisville | 2 | 2007, 2012 |
| Syracuse | 2 | 2010, 2011 |
| Butler | 1 | 2016 |
| Providence | 1 | 1994 |
| South Florida | 1 | 2013 |
| St. John's | 1 | 2015 |
Italics indicate that the school no longer competes in Big East Conference softball.
Notes
- UConn played as part of the American Athletic Conference from 2014–2020.
References
- "Big East Softball Championship Central". Big East Conference. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- 2013 Softball Media Guide. Big East Conference. p. 50. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- 2025 Softball Record Book (PDF). Big East Conference. p. 8. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- 2025 Softball Record Book (PDF). Big East Conference. p. 9. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- "DePaul Captures BIG EAST Championship Crown". Big East Conference. May 10, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- "Champions At Last: St. John's Earns Program's First Ever Big East Championship Title". St. John's Red Storm. May 10, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- "@ButlerSoftball Wins BIG EAST Title with 10-8 Extra-Inning Victory over St. John's". Butler University. May 14, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
- "Big-Time Clutch Hitting Brings DePaul BIG EAST Title". CBS Interactive. May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.