The Big XII Baseball Tournament is moving to Surprise Stadium in 2026. Surprise Stadium is the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. Rev Entertainment, which operates Globe Life Field, where the Big XII Tournament is currently located, also runs Surprise Stadium.
The 2026 Big XII Tournament will be the first one held outside of Oklahoma or Texas. Globe Life Field has hosted the Big XII Tournament since 2022. The Big XII Tournament began in 1997. Oklahoma City hosted the first five Big XII Tournaments. Arlington and Oklahoma City have combined to host every Big XII Tournament.
The shifting geography of the Big XII allowed the conference to move the tournament beginning in 2026. The official press release from the Big XII does not mention how long the tournament will remain in Surprise. Arizona and Arizona State will benefit from home crowds with games played in Surprise.
Among the other major Big XII tournaments, basketball is held in Kansas City and the conference championship in football is held less than a mile from Globe Life Field at AT&T Stadium, also in Arlington. Oklahoma State is the defending Big XII Tournament Champion.
Surprise Stadium seats 10,714 compared to the capacity of 40,300 at Globe Life Park. Arizona has never played at Surprise Stadium. Arizona played in the final two Pac-12 Tournament Championships in 2023 and 2024 at Scottsdale Stadium, winning in their latter appearance.
BYU and Utah should also benefit from the Big XII Tournament moving from Arlington, Texas, to Surprise. Baylor, Houston, TCU and Texas Tech are the Big XII schools in Texas. Stillwater, where Oklahoma State is located, is about a four-hour drive from Arlington.
Surprise Stadium opened in 2002. In addition to hosting Kansas City and Texas in spring training, the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League use Surprise Stadium as their home field. All 12 Big XII teams participate in the Big XII Baseball Tournament.