The Big Ten baseball tournament began in 1981. From 1981 to 1999, the tournament was a 4-team
double-elimination tournament. In 2000, the tournament expanded to a 6-team double elimination format, then 8 teams in 2014. From 1981 until 1987, the Big Ten Conference was split into two divisions, named the 'East' and the 'West'. The top two teams in each division at the end of the regular season participated in the tournament. In 1988, the conference eliminated the divisions, and the tournament's field was determined by the four (later six, then eight) teams with the best conference rankings. ==Champions==