Purdue Softball's Seed, Opponent Announced for Big Ten Tournament

Purdue will be playing in this year's Big Ten Softball Tournament. Here's where the Boilers are seeded and who they'll play in its opener on Wednesday.

Purdue Boilermakers starting pitcher/relief pitcher Julia Gossett (33). | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue's seed and opponent have been announced for the 2026 Big Ten Softball Tournament. The Boilermakers are scheduled to open up tournament play on Wednesday, May 6, against Wisconsin.

The Boilermakers earned the No. 10 seed for this year's Big Ten Tournament, finishing with an 11-13 record in conference play. They'll play the seventh-seeded Badgers, who posted a 14-10 mark in league competition.

Purdue's matchup against Wisconsin is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on Big Ten Network. This year's conference tournament will be played at the University of Maryland Softball Complex.

If Purdue defeats Wisconsin, it will advance to play No. 2 seed Oregon in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 7.

The winner of the Big Ten Tournament will be the conference's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin defeated Purdue in the regular-season series

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Magali Frezzotti talks to Purdue Boilermakers outfielder Khloe Banks (2). | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue and Wisconsin played a three-game series in West Lafayette from April 3-5. The Badgers won two of the three games, though all three contests were close.

Wisconsin defeated Purdue 3-0 in the first meeting and followed it up with a 10-9 victory the following day. The Boilermakers won the third and final game of the series 4-2.

Based on how the two teams competed during the regular season, we should be in store for a quality matchup on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament.

Boilers closed regular season on a high note

Purdue Boilermakers starting pitcher/relief pitcher Julia Gossett (33) celebrates with teammates. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue closed out the season with back-to-back wins over Iowa, claiming the three-game series 2-1. The Hawkeyes took the first game in Iowa City, 8-7, but the Boilers bounced back.

On Saturday, Purdue cruised to a 6-1 win, getting its 10th Big Ten win of the year. On Sunday, the Boilermakers overcame a 5-2 deficit, scoring five unanswered runs to post a 7-5 victory.

Along with Purdue's series win over Iowa, outfield Moriah Polar was named one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award. She has recorded 99 hits and has four home runs this year. She has also accounted for 47 RBI.

Wednesday's full schedule

Softballs line the foul line. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big Ten Tournament gets underway on Wednesday, with four games on the docket. Here is the complete schedule for the first day from the University of Maryland:

• Game 1 — #12 Minnesota vs. #5 Washington (11 a.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
• Game 2 — #9 Michigan vs. #8 Ohio State (1:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
• Game 3 — #10 Purdue vs. #7 Wisconsin (4:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
• Game 4 — #11 Penn State vs. #6 Northwestern (7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)

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