For the first time, the Maryland softball team will compete in the Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge, the Big Ten announced Tuesday.
The tournament has been expanded to include 10 teams from each conference in 2020 — up from eight in 2019 — and will take place from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, with each squad playing four games. The Terps, grouped with Michigan State, are slated to face Clemson and Pittsburgh in Clemson, South Carolina.
[Read more: Despite finishing last in the Big Ten, Maryland softball expects to grow further next year]
The Panthers went 13-41 overall and finished 0-4 in the Big Ten/ACC Softball Challenge in 2019. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be fielding a softball team in 2020 for the first time in program history.
Joining the Terps and Spartans to represent the Big Ten in the tournament will be Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin. This year will mark the fifth straight year the Big Ten and ACC face off in the challenge, with each conference winning two of the first four.
[Read more: After matching last year’s win total, Maryland softball wants to keep improving]
Last season, Maryland finished with a 20-31 record, failing to qualify for the Big Ten tournament while dealing with a bevy of injuries. The Terps finished with their most nonconference wins under coach Julie Wright, picking up 16 victories before stumbling in conference play.
