Here comes the swan song for the Big Ten as a 13-team baseball league.
This will be the ninth and final full season of this iteration of the conference — the 2020 season never happened because of the pandemic — since Rutgers and Maryland joined in 2015.
The 2025 Big Ten campaign will add USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington while possibly bringing about divisions and certainly prompting more than the current 24 league games.
For now, this old Big Ten will aim to build on three NCAA regional qualifiers from a year ago — Maryland, Indiana and Iowa — while facing the familiar annual challenges of cold-weather teams.
Here is a look a how the conference shapes up, in order of projected finish.
They are the only Big Ten squad with two proven aces in juniors Marcus Morgan and flamethrower Brody Brecht atop a deep stable of pitchers, which lessens the pressure on a new-look offense.
A favorable league slate — Iowa misses both Indiana and Maryland — and challenging nonconference lineup further suggests a second straight NCAA regional is coming under longtime coach Rick Heller.
Of 11 returning double-digit homer bats in the league, four are Hoosiers who also add All-Summit League transfer outfielder Nick Mitchell from Western Illinois.
IU will miss injured Big Ten strikeout leader Luke Sinnard (elbow) but again has depth to piece together pitching in unorthodox yet effective ways.
The Haymarket Park-sized question for Nebraska baseball isn’t whether new stars will emerge — they tend to. It’s how much depth the Huskers have as they aim to end a two-year NCAA tournament drought.
Two consecutive Junes without baseball matches the longest drought for the Huskers in the Big Ten era.
Big Red responded by hiring two new assistants — including renowned pitching coach Rob Childress — and prioritizing pitching abundance coming off a 6-6 midweek mark.
The offense won’t approach its school-record 97 homers from last year but returns big outfield bat Gabe Swansen while emerging star Dylan Carey moves from third base to shortstop to help lead a more versatile attack.
Depth of talent will determine the degree of NU’s bounce-back.
Fifth-year coach Steve Owens has quietly molded the Scarlet Knights into a rising force in the Northeast.
After years of placing near the bottom of the Big Ten, Rutgers’ last three finishes have been eighth, tied for second and fifth.
Sophomore Christian Coppola is back as the league’s ERA leader (3.68) and is set to be joined by former ace swingman Justin Sinibaldi for potentially the best 1-2 pitching punch outside of Iowa.
A high-upside infield is where a lineup reset begins as the program eyes its first NCAA tournament berth since 2007.
The Wolverines’ first non-winning season in more than a decade came in the wake of a coaching change and a lineup among the lowest-scoring in the country.
Coach Tracy Smith — who led Indiana to the College World Series in 2013 — responded with multiple all-conference portal adds in outfielder Stephen Hrustich (Northwestern) and infielders Mack Timbrook (Kent State) and Cole Caruso (USC Upstate).
A sixth NCAA regional in the last nine full seasons may hinge on how well multiple former high-leverage relievers transition to full-time starters.
Maryland also resets from losing six of its seven All-Big Ten performers from last season including most of the power from its homer total (131) that ranked fourth nationally.
A few veteran bats still populate the lineup but the offense doesn’t appear to have near the firepower that consistently bailed out one of the league’s worst pitching staffs a year go.
Longtime coach Rob Cooper resigned after winning at a 42% clip and gives way to proven former Boston College skipper Mike Gambino.
PSU will be an older team with a pair of decent starters back in Travis Luensmann and Jaden Henline while adding an impact bat in Wake Forest transfer outfielder Adam Cecere (.284 average, 10 homers).
Qualifying for the eight-team league tournament would be tangible progress.
Big Ten baseball will look much different in 2025, which means a new standard to meet is coming for Nebraska. Plus Husker breakouts to watch, roster moves and the in-season impact of new assistant coaches.
Uncertain times in Champaign, where the Illini are coming off just the second losing season in 17 full campaigns under coach Dan Hartleb and must replace most of their starting rotation and outfield.
The lineup has power — only Indiana returns more double-digit homer bats than UI’s Drake Westcott (18), Jacob Schroeder (14) and Ryan Moerman (12) — while pitching is a mystery counting on transfers and younger players to take leaps.
A beacon of Big Ten baseball in the 2010s, Illinois’ last NCAA berth (2019) has sudden been a while.
One part of that foundation has reset, with MSU’s top four hitters now in pro ball.
Meanwhile, senior starter Nick Powers (4.21 ERA) is the only established high-leverage pitcher back on a staff primed for regression after missing bats (7.6 strikeouts per nine innings) at a rate tied for worst in the league.
A positive: MSU is the only club to miss both Iowa and Indiana.
Second-year coach Bill Mosiello — formerly a longtime TCU assistant — has a lineup that will again be aggressive on the base paths (third in league in steals a year ago) and is set to face a relatively challenging noncon slate.
OSU’s rotation has a chance to be decent as Gavin Bruni (4.87 ERA in conference) returns while closer Landon Beidelschies moves to a starting role.
Both are back after finishing Nos. 1 and 3 in the league with a combined 54 steals in 60 tries as the mainstays of a lineup largely turned over with transfers and junior-college bats.
There’s also no clear ace among the staff, which lost its pitching coach to LSU in the offseason.
A thin nonconference slate could help build momentum — or lay bare potential deficiencies.
It’s been tough sledding of late. Since Minnesota swept the Big Ten regular-season and tourney titles in 2018, it has gone a combined 76-138 (.355) with consecutive league finishes of 13th, 13th and 10th after the pandemic.
The lowest-scoring lineup in the conference last year will play 22 straight games away from home to open the spring.
UM has some veteran pieces led by All-Big Ten starter Tucker Novotny and infielder Brady Counsell.
Ben Greenspan — a well-traveled assistant and first-time head coach — takes over after the Wildcats fired Jim Foster for alleged bullying and abusive behavior.
Another portal exodus leaves behind virtually no established contributors for a team that plays its first 20 games on the road and ranked near the Big Ten basement in every major metric in 2023.
At least the Cubs and White Sox are only a train ride away.
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This will be the ninth and final full season of this iteration of the conference — the 2020 season never happened because of the pandemic — since Rutgers and Maryland joined in 2015.
The 2025 Big Ten campaign will add USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington while possibly bringing about divisions and certainly prompting more than the current 24 league games.
For now, this old Big Ten will aim to build on three NCAA regional qualifiers from a year ago — Maryland, Indiana and Iowa — while facing the familiar annual challenges of cold-weather teams.
Here is a look a how the conference shapes up, in order of projected finish.
1. Iowa (44-16 in 2023)
A regular-season league title would be no small thing for the Hawkeyes, who have captured just two (1972, 1990) since World War II.
They are the only Big Ten squad with two proven aces in juniors Marcus Morgan and flamethrower Brody Brecht atop a deep stable of pitchers, which lessens the pressure on a new-look offense.
A favorable league slate — Iowa misses both Indiana and Maryland — and challenging nonconference lineup further suggests a second straight NCAA regional is coming under longtime coach Rick Heller.
2. Indiana (43-20)
The Hoosiers were a game away from a super regional last season and bring back virtually all of a powerful offense headlined by reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year outfielder Devin Taylor (.315 average, 16 homers, 59 RBIs).Of 11 returning double-digit homer bats in the league, four are Hoosiers who also add All-Summit League transfer outfielder Nick Mitchell from Western Illinois.
IU will miss injured Big Ten strikeout leader Luke Sinnard (elbow) but again has depth to piece together pitching in unorthodox yet effective ways.
3. Nebraska (33-23-1)
The Haymarket Park-sized question for Nebraska baseball isn’t whether new stars will emerge — they tend to. It’s how much depth the Huskers have as they aim to end a two-year NCAA tournament drought.
Two consecutive Junes without baseball matches the longest drought for the Huskers in the Big Ten era.
Big Red responded by hiring two new assistants — including renowned pitching coach Rob Childress — and prioritizing pitching abundance coming off a 6-6 midweek mark.
The offense won’t approach its school-record 97 homers from last year but returns big outfield bat Gabe Swansen while emerging star Dylan Carey moves from third base to shortstop to help lead a more versatile attack.
Depth of talent will determine the degree of NU’s bounce-back.
4. Rutgers (33-23)
Fifth-year coach Steve Owens has quietly molded the Scarlet Knights into a rising force in the Northeast.
After years of placing near the bottom of the Big Ten, Rutgers’ last three finishes have been eighth, tied for second and fifth.
Sophomore Christian Coppola is back as the league’s ERA leader (3.68) and is set to be joined by former ace swingman Justin Sinibaldi for potentially the best 1-2 pitching punch outside of Iowa.
A high-upside infield is where a lineup reset begins as the program eyes its first NCAA tournament berth since 2007.
5. Michigan (28-28)
The Wolverines’ first non-winning season in more than a decade came in the wake of a coaching change and a lineup among the lowest-scoring in the country.
Coach Tracy Smith — who led Indiana to the College World Series in 2013 — responded with multiple all-conference portal adds in outfielder Stephen Hrustich (Northwestern) and infielders Mack Timbrook (Kent State) and Cole Caruso (USC Upstate).
A sixth NCAA regional in the last nine full seasons may hinge on how well multiple former high-leverage relievers transition to full-time starters.
6. Maryland (42-21)
New era in College Park. The Terps lost two-time reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year Rob Vaughn to Alabama and promoted longtime assistant/staffer Matt Swope to his first head gig.Maryland also resets from losing six of its seven All-Big Ten performers from last season including most of the power from its homer total (131) that ranked fourth nationally.
A few veteran bats still populate the lineup but the offense doesn’t appear to have near the firepower that consistently bailed out one of the league’s worst pitching staffs a year go.
7. Penn State (25-25)
This isn’t Babe Ruth calling his shot, but 2024 is when the Nittany Lions end a streak of 10 straight losing records in Big Ten play.Longtime coach Rob Cooper resigned after winning at a 42% clip and gives way to proven former Boston College skipper Mike Gambino.
PSU will be an older team with a pair of decent starters back in Travis Luensmann and Jaden Henline while adding an impact bat in Wake Forest transfer outfielder Adam Cecere (.284 average, 10 homers).
Qualifying for the eight-team league tournament would be tangible progress.
8. Illinois (25-27)
Big Ten baseball will look much different in 2025, which means a new standard to meet is coming for Nebraska. Plus Husker breakouts to watch, roster moves and the in-season impact of new assistant coaches.
Uncertain times in Champaign, where the Illini are coming off just the second losing season in 17 full campaigns under coach Dan Hartleb and must replace most of their starting rotation and outfield.
The lineup has power — only Indiana returns more double-digit homer bats than UI’s Drake Westcott (18), Jacob Schroeder (14) and Ryan Moerman (12) — while pitching is a mystery counting on transfers and younger players to take leaps.
A beacon of Big Ten baseball in the 2010s, Illinois’ last NCAA berth (2019) has sudden been a while.
9. Michigan State (33-22)
The Spartans authored their first winning season since 2017 — and first league tourney appearance since 2018 — last year thanks to steady hitting and solid pitching.One part of that foundation has reset, with MSU’s top four hitters now in pro ball.
Meanwhile, senior starter Nick Powers (4.21 ERA) is the only established high-leverage pitcher back on a staff primed for regression after missing bats (7.6 strikeouts per nine innings) at a rate tied for worst in the league.
A positive: MSU is the only club to miss both Iowa and Indiana.
10. Ohio State (31-25)
The Buckeyes have missed the last two Big Ten tourneys but found reason for hope by ending last season on a nine-game winning streak.Second-year coach Bill Mosiello — formerly a longtime TCU assistant — has a lineup that will again be aggressive on the base paths (third in league in steals a year ago) and is set to face a relatively challenging noncon slate.
OSU’s rotation has a chance to be decent as Gavin Bruni (4.87 ERA in conference) returns while closer Landon Beidelschies moves to a starting role.
11. Purdue (24-29)
One scouting report remains the same for the Boilermakers: Keep speedy outfield table setters Mike Bolton Jr. and Couper Cornblum off base.Both are back after finishing Nos. 1 and 3 in the league with a combined 54 steals in 60 tries as the mainstays of a lineup largely turned over with transfers and junior-college bats.
There’s also no clear ace among the staff, which lost its pitching coach to LSU in the offseason.
A thin nonconference slate could help build momentum — or lay bare potential deficiencies.
12. Minnesota (18-34)
This will be the 43rd and final season for John Anderson as Gophers head coach.It’s been tough sledding of late. Since Minnesota swept the Big Ten regular-season and tourney titles in 2018, it has gone a combined 76-138 (.355) with consecutive league finishes of 13th, 13th and 10th after the pandemic.
The lowest-scoring lineup in the conference last year will play 22 straight games away from home to open the spring.
UM has some veteran pieces led by All-Big Ten starter Tucker Novotny and infielder Brady Counsell.
13. Northwestern (10-40)
A third straight year with a new head coach says how it’s going in Evanston.Ben Greenspan — a well-traveled assistant and first-time head coach — takes over after the Wildcats fired Jim Foster for alleged bullying and abusive behavior.
Another portal exodus leaves behind virtually no established contributors for a team that plays its first 20 games on the road and ranked near the Big Ten basement in every major metric in 2023.
At least the Cubs and White Sox are only a train ride away.
Evan Bland’s preseason Big Ten baseball rankings for 2024
How are the Big Ten baseball teams shaking up heading into the last season with 13 conference teams? Check out Evan Bland's preseason rankings!
