BALTIMORE, MD - SportsTravel magazine has announced that the 2009 BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge has been nominated for a 2009 SportsTravel Award. Events are nominated and then voted upon by the readers of SportsTravel, the sports world's event magazine.

The inaugural BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, concluded to rave reviews from fans, participants, coaches and elected officials in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. Approximately 17,000 spectators turned out over three days to watch as eight teams representing the BIG EAST squared off against all 10 of the Big Ten’s baseball-playing institutions in NCAA Division I baseball’s first conference challenge event.

“Events such as this one are a prime example of the achievement of excellence in the organization and management of sporting events,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo. “SportsTravel readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry and they know what it takes to execute a high-quality event,” said Schneider. “The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for them to honor their peers for a job well done.”

Official ballots are available in the August and September issues of SportsTravel magazine. Readers may also find more information and vote online at www.SportsTravelMagazine.com. Final balloting is open through September 14, 2009. Winners will be announced at the TEAMS 2009 Conference & Expo, October 13-17, 2009, in New Orleans.

TEAMS and SportsTravel are owned by Schneider Publishing, the Los Angeles-based company that also publishes Association News magazine. The group travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million room nights annually. For further information, please call toll-free (877) 577-3700.