Globe Life Field to host stacked Big 12/SEC baseball tournament next month
Globe Life Field is hosting a marquee event to kick off the 2021 college baseball season next month. Six teams ranked in the top 10 from the Big 12 and SEC will play in a round robin style tournament.
TCU is among the programs participating along with fellow Big 12 schools Texas Tech and Texas. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas are the SEC representatives.
“We’re certainly excited to be a part of the first year of this tournament,” TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “It’s going to be better than anyone anticipated. Having been in the facility and seeing what a first-class ballpark it is, there’s going to be no better way to bring college baseball back than this tournament.”
An official news conference announcing the event — the State Farm College Baseball Showdown — took place Thursday with all six head coaches and Rangers executive Sean Decker.
Capacity is expected to be between 14,000 and 15,000 fans. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through the Rangers’ website. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youth 13 and under with weekend passes priced at $50 for adults and $30 for youth 13 and under.
Tickets for each day are good for admission to all three games.
Decker, the Rangers’ executive vice president of sports and entertainment, said the stadium will have similar COVID-19 policies in place as it has had for previous events.
Decker added that the Rangers’ intention is “to host this tournament for years to come.”
Texas Tech is the highest-ranked program at No. 3 followed by Ole Miss (No. 6), Mississippi State (No. 7), Arkansas (No. 8), Texas (No. 9) and TCU (No. 10) in the D1 Baseball preseason poll.
The games will be played Feb. 19-21 with starting times at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
As far as TCU is concerned, it will play Ole Miss at 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19; Mississippi State at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20; and Arkansas at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21.
Texas’ schedule calls for a game against Mississippi State at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19; Arkansas at 7 p.m. Feb. 20; and Ole Miss at 3 p.m. Feb. 21.
Texas Tech will face Arkansas at 7 p.m. Feb. 19; Ole Miss at 3 p.m. Feb. 20; and Mississippi State at 11 a.m. Feb. 21.
For the SEC programs, playing in a major league stadium in a baseball-rich state such as Texas is always welcomed. Every school in the tournament has multiple Texans on their roster.
“Us getting back to Texas, we’re excited for it,” Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said. “We try to get in there and get some players. There’s so many good schools, it’s hard to get them out sometimes, but we work in that area a good bit.”
Lemonis went on to mention that the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2020, Justin Foscue, played at Mississippi State. Of course, the Rangers have a long history with former Mississippi State players coming through the organization, ranging from Rafael Palmeiro to Will Clark to Mitch Moreland to Foscue.
For now, these teams are focused on the 2021 season and getting off to a good start at Globe Life Field.
Last year’s college baseball season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA froze eligibility for spring athletes, so several teams return experienced and deep rosters.
Every team playing at Globe Life Field next month has national championship aspirations.
This is another marquee event for Arlington’s newest stadium, which hosted the 2020 World Series and the 2020 National Finals Rodeo. The stadium will also host a college football game next fall.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 11:00 AM.
