Clemson softball to host Pitt, Maryland and Michigan State in 2020 Big Ten/ ACC Softball Challenge

The Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences announced Tuesday the matchups for the 2020 Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge. The fifth annual event will take place Feb. 14-16, 2020, and has been expanded to feature 10 schools from each conference, with each program playing four games each at five campus sites.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences announced Tuesday the matchups for the 2020 Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge. The fifth annual event will take place Feb. 14-16, 2020, and has been expanded to feature 10 schools from each conference, with each program playing four games each at five campus sites.

In addition, two schools from each conference will compete in the second annual ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., from Feb. 13-16, 2020. 2019 NCAA regional champion Florida State will be joined by 2019 ACC Coastal Division Champion Virginia Tech in representing the ACC at this year’s ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, while Minnesota and Northwestern will be the Big Ten contingent in the tournament. The head-to-head results between Big Ten and ACC schools at that event will count towards the final Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge standings.

Five ACC schools will serve as the host sites for this year’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge — Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and NC State — with the other ACC participants being Boston College, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin will be the Big Ten softball programs competing in the Challenge.

The ACC and Big Ten have each won twice during the first four years of the Challenge. The ACC won the Challenge in 2017 and 2018, with Florida State posting an undefeated record against Big Ten teams in the 2019 ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational.

The Big Ten and ACC offices collaborate to determine the schedule each season. In addition, the official title of the Challenge rotates each year. The 2020 event will be referred to as the Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge and will continue to mirror the official title of the conferences’ Challenge agreements for men's basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball.

Exact game dates and times, as well as television and online coverage, will be announced at a later date. The 2020 Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge participants and site assignments can be found below.



(all games to be played Feb. 14-16, 2020 except where noted)


(results between Big Ten and ACC schools will count towards Challenge standings)
ACC – Florida State, Virginia Tech
Big Ten – Minnesota, Northwestern


ACC – Louisville, North Carolina
Big Ten – Michigan, Wisconsin


ACC – NC State, Notre Dame
Big Ten – Illinois, Ohio State


ACC – Duke, Syracuse
Big Ten – Indiana, Rutgers


ACC – Boston College, Georgia Tech
Big Ten – Iowa, Nebraska


ACC – Clemson, Pitt
Big Ten – Maryland, Michigan State