Feb. 15, 2008

Complete Schedule in PDF Format

The Big Ten Network has unveiled plans to cover 25 regular season softball and 25 regular season baseball games during the 2008 season. BTN will also provide coverage of Big Ten softball tournament title game on May 10 and the conference baseball championship games on May 24-25.

Terri Sullivan's Illini softball team opens Big Ten play March 30 with a doubleheader at defending conference champion Ohio State. The network will show both ends of the twinbill on a taped delay basis at 4 and 6:30 p.m. CDT, respectively. The Illini will appear live twice during the year - an April 11 match-up at Big Ten Tournament champion Northwestern and an April 16 contest against state-rival Illinois State. First pitch for both matches will be 6 p.m.

BTN will showcase the final three games of the regular season live for Dan Hartleb's Illini baseball team. Illinois faces Purdue Friday, May 16 at 1 p.m. for a doubleheader and Saturday, May 17 and 1 p.m.

The softball season is underway with the Illini going 3-2 during the first weekend of competition. The Illinois baseball season opens Feb. 22 in Edinburg, Texas.

"The Big Ten Network is thrilled to bring an unprecedented amount of Big Ten baseball and softball to a national audience," network president Mark Silverman said. "Fans should really enjoy that all these games will be in stunning HD."

Softball coverage starts with a Big Ten Network quadruple-header on Sunday, March 30. Indiana hosts Penn State in a doubleheader beginning at 11 AM ET. Action continues at 6 PM ET when Illinois travels to Ohio State for a doubleheader. The network will carry the action from Columbus on a delayed basis.

The Big Ten Network will televise a softball doubleheader every Sunday as well as games on selected Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The schedule includes seven doubleheaders, with 23 of the 25 regular season games consisting of conference match-ups. The network's live baseball coverage begins with the first three games of the Penn State-Ohio State series. Game one of the series is slated for 6:30 PM ET on Friday, March 28.

The Big Ten Network baseball schedule features seven doubleheaders and 22 of the 25 regular season games on the network will be conference match-ups.

About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network provides unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming includes live coverage of more major men's and women's events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.