 | |
| Formerly | Astros College Classic (2001-02) Minute Maid Park College Classic (2003-07) Houston College Classic (2008-15) |
|---|---|
| Sport | College baseball |
| Founded | 2001 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Venue(s) | Minute Maid Park |
| TV partner(s) | AT&T SportsNet SW MLB Network |
| Official website | http://www.astros.com/collegeclassic |
The Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic is an annual six-team college baseball tournament held in Houston and hosted by the Astros Foundation. The 15th annual tournament was held at Minute Maid Park in March 2015.[1][2] It was initially called Astros College Classic from 2001 through 2002, the Minute Maid Park College Classic from 2003 through 2007,[3] and the Houston College Classic from 2008 through 2015. In December 2015, the Astros Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children announced a multi-year naming rights agreement for the tournament,[4] rebranding the event the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic.
As part of the agreement with Shriners Hospitals for Children, the Astros Foundation announced that the 2016 Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic would be nationally televised for the first time in history on MLB Network.
The College Classic is seen as the start of the college baseball season in Texas.[5] At the end of the tournament, a Most Outstanding Player and an All-Tournament Team are announced.[6][7]
The event is normally held in early March.
The 2020 edition of the event happened before the breakout of the COVID-19.
- ^ "Houston College Classic returns for 12th year". Houston.astros.mlb.com. January 18, 2012. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Fans' guide to the 2012 Houston College Classic | Owls | a Chron.com blog". Blog.chron.com. March 1, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ "Records (9 pages).pmd" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ "Shriners Hospitals for Children". www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ "Minute Maid field includes four ranked teams - College Sports - ESPN". ESPN. February 11, 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
- ^ MLB.com. "2008 Houston College Classic All-Tournament Team announced". Houston.astros.mlb.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
- ^ MLB.com. "The University of Houston finishes undefeated at Houston College Classic". Arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2012.