The Big 12 tournament was first played in
1997 at
All Sports Stadium in
Oklahoma City, before moving to
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark the following year. The tournament has been played in Oklahoma City each year, save for 2002 and 2004, when the event was played in
Arlington, Texas, at the
home park of
Major League Baseball's
Texas Rangers. Over its 10-plus year history, the tournament has had three distinct formats. beginning with the
2022 Big 12 Conference baseball tournament, the tournament moved to
Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas
1997–98 '''' In 1997 and 1998, the top six teams were invited to play in a double elimination tournament with no byes for any teams. The format mirrored the regional round of the NCAA tournament at that time.
1999–2005 '''' Beginning in 1999, the tournament expanded to eight teams and followed the format of the
College World Series. It consisted of two 4-team
double-elimination brackets, with the winners facing off in a final championship game. The format mirrors that of the tournament format used by the
Southeastern Conference, which continues to use this bracket.
2006–2010 '''' In 2006 the tournament moved to a
round-robin format. In this format, two pools of four teams play each other with the winners of each pool playing a one-game championship match. This format ended in 2010.
2011–2023 Starting with the
2011 Big 12 Conference baseball tournament, the tournament went back to the format used from 1999 to 2005. In 2021, the format changed for only that season to include a single-elimination play-in game with the 8th and 9th place teams before reverting back to the 8-team format for the following two years.
2024 Conference realignment saw the Big 12 expand to 13 teams for
2024, the tournament expanded to a 10-team modified double-elimination format, with the first and second place teams receiving a first round bye.
2025 Conference realignment saw the Big 12 expand to 14 teams for
2025, the tournament expanded to a 12-team single-elimination format, with the top four place teams receiving a first round bye. ==Champions==