St. Petersburg | Clearwater
USF Series Softball - Clearwater
USF Series Softball - Clearwater
The four-weekend tournament series draws top collegiate teams from around the country every February and March.
3DLax Lacrosse Spring Training - St. Petersburg
3DLax Lacrosse Spring Training - St. Petersburg
3DLax, one of the sports commission's newest partners, hosts 5 weeks of lacrosse spring training in St. Petersburg in March.
ABA Gator Nationals BMX - Oldsmar
ABA Gator Nationals BMX - Oldsmar
More than 811 riders from 34 states and 20 countries battled it out at the 2010 ABA Gator Nationals at the Oldsmar BMX Park.
Aflac Iron Girl Event Series - Clearwater Beach
Aflac Iron Girl Event Series - Clearwater Beach
Over 2,700 women hit the beach to test their endurance in the 2010 Aflac Iron Girl Clearwater 15K & 5K.
Gulf Coast Standup Paddleboard Championship - Madeira Beach
Gulf Coast Standup Paddleboard Championship - Madeira Beach
Paddlers from all over the country took to the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico for the inaugural Gulf Coast Stand Up Paddleboard Championship in Madeira Beach in May.
2010 BIG EAST Championship
2010 BIG EAST Championship
College's top eight baseball teams compete at Bright House Field for a bid to the NCAA Championship.
FEBRUARY 26-28, 2010

HOSTED BY THE St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission

Following an inaugural event in which nearly 17,000 spectators attended games in a three-day period, the second Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, has been confirmed for the weekend of Feb. 26-28, 2010. The 2010 edition, to be held in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Dunedin, FL, will feature 10 teams from each conference competing in 30 games.

"We are extremely pleased to bring the Big Ten/BIG EAST Baseball Challenge back to our area after such a successful inaugural event," said Kevin Smith, Director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. "Over the years we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the BIG EAST Conference, and to be able to continue to grow our relationship with the Big Ten while providing a weekend of exciting baseball for the local community is a great opportunity for us. We feel privileged to be able to bring two of the nation's premiere athletic conferences together to compete in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area."

All 10 of the Big Ten's baseball-playing institutions will once again compete in the 2010 Challenge, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue. The BIG EAST will send 10 teams to the 2010 event, as Louisville, Rutgers and Villanova will make their first appearances and will be joined by seven squads making a return trip – Cincinnati, Connecticut, Notre Dame, St. John's, Seton Hall, USF and West Virginia.

Games will be played daily in St. Petersburg at the Raymond A. Naimoli Complex, the former spring training practice facility of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Al Lang Stadium, the Rays' former spring training game site. Games in Clearwater will take place at Jack Russell Stadium, once the spring home of the Philadelphia Phillies. There will be 10 games each day pitting Big Ten teams against BIG EAST representatives. Games are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday and run into the evening both days. In addition, double-headers beginning at 4pm will be played Fri night at Dunedin Stadium, Spring Training Home of the Toronto Blue Jays and Sat night at BrightHouse Field, Spring Training Home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Sunday's games are also slated to start at 10 a.m., but will conclude in the afternoon so that traveling schools can return to their campuses that evening. All three venues will be utilized each day.

The second BIG TEN/BIG EAST BASEBALL CHALLENGE is being presented by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. Committed to bringing quality sporting events to our destination, the Sports Commission is a department of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, the destination marketing organization for Pinellas County. The Sports Commission invites all to come out to support activities in our County.

For more information visit www.bigtenbigeastchallenge.com/.