BTN to air record number of baseball, softball games

CHICAGO - BTN will offer its most extensive baseball and softball coverage ever, with over 240 events airing on BTN, BTN2Go and the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN) for the 2014 season.

BTN?s television coverage of Big Ten baseball begins with the third game of a three-game series between Indiana and Michigan. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday from Bloomington. Last season, Indiana won both the Big Ten Championship and Tournament, and advanced to the College World Series, becoming the first Big Ten squad to reach Omaha since Michigan in 1984.

BTN?s television coverage of Big Ten softball begins with Nebraska hosting Creighton on Wednesday, April 2. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET from Lincoln. Last season, Michigan captured a conference-record sixth straight Big Ten Championship, its 16^th in the last 22 seasons. Four Big Ten teams participated in the NCAA Softball Championship, with the Wolverines and Huskers advancing to the Women?s College World Series, marking the first time since 2001 that two Big Ten teams appeared in the event.

Highlights and coverage of Big Ten baseball and softball will be featured on This Week in the Big Ten, a new studio show which airs Sunday nights, beginning April 6. Hosts Rick Pizzo, Mike Hall and various analysts will discuss Big Ten matchups and breakout performances from the weekend?s games. The Diamond Report will return with nightly airings during the baseball and softball tournaments.

Below is a preliminary schedule. Additional games will be added at a later date. The BTDN streaming schedule can be viewed at video.btn.com.

BTN & BTN2Go BASEBALL SCHEDULE: (All times Eastern)

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BTN & BTN2Go SOFTBALL SCHEDULE: (All times Eastern)

About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 800 events, all in HD, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. BTN2Go is the 24/7 simulcast of BTN that delivers live and on-demand programming via the internet, smartphones and tablets to customers of participating video providers. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events; studio shows; and classic games. The network televises and streams more Olympic sporting events and women?s sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation?s finest universities. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is in more than 52 million homes across the United States and Canada, including carriage by all the major video distributors, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Communications, Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, Rogers Cable, Shaw and Shaw Direct (Canada) and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. For additional information, go to www.BTN.com.