Pac-12 to host baseball conference tournament in 2021

The Pac-12 is planning to host a baseball conference tournament for the first time ever in 2021, according to Michael Lev of the Tucson Daily Star.

The tournament’s host site will practically be in Arizona State’s backyard at Scottsdale Stadium, which is normally the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants. The tournament is expected to be played at the venue for the next three years.

There is no official format yet, though one possible scenario reported by Lev would be an eight-team, double-elimination format with a one-game championship.

As for how this would affect the Pac-12 regular season slate, all 11 teams in the Pac-12 would play their regular 30 league games, and the beginning of the conference schedule would be pushed up a week.

The winner of the regular season Pac-12 title would earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

For many years, the Pac-12 has been one of the last few conferences without a postseason baseball tournament, alongside the Ivy League and the Big West. However, it appears that time has now passed.

Earlier this week, Sun Devil coach Tracy Smith also detailed some of the challenges and things that lie ahead for college baseball next year.