Barry Lewis/KillerFrogs
Big 12 Baseball Championship Final Rankings/Review
The Big 12 baseball season has ended as teams prepare to enter the NCAA Championship, with regionals fast approaching. With the conference tournament now in the rearview mirror, it is time to look back at who performed the best and worst.
Disclaimer: Baylor will not be on this list as they did not qualify for the conference tournament, nor will Iowa State as they do not sponsor baseball. This list is only the eight teams that participated in the conference tournament, ranked on performance within the tournament.
Ranking Big 12 Baseball Tournament Teams
8. Texas
This one came as a surprise to just about everybody. In their only two games of the tournament, the Longhorns scored just three runs on 11 hits. Coming in as the number one seed, it was expected to see Texas playing in the final game on Sunday. However, a stunning loss to Kansas caused the team to come out flat in the elimination game against Kansas State, in which they only managed two hits. After being a clear favorite, the Longhorns left Arlington within 24 hours of their first pitch. Sadly, that makes them the most underwhelming team of the conference tournament.
7. West Virginia
Like the Longhorns, the Mountaineers also got a share of the regular season title and came in as the three seed. Also, like the aforementioned Texas, West Virginia went home early after losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The loss to second-seeded Oklahoma State was well fought and is forgivable, but a rough start against a lower-seeded Red Raider team was a bad way for this tournament to go for the Mountaineers. This early exit may sting well into the postseason.
6. Oklahoma
The opening win against Bedlam rival Oklahoma State seemed like it would be just what the Sooners needed to start a run like they had the year before. Especially while leading Texas Tech by two runs in the ninth inning. However, the collapse in that game, followed by giving up five second inning runs in the rematch with Oklahoma State, resulted in elimination and one of the lowest performances in what could have been their last solid chance at a conference title.
5. Kansas
Despite being run-ruled by the eventual champion, and then eliminated by their instate rival, Kansas comes at five and above Oklahoma because of one win. The Opening Day win over Texas sent ripples through the entire bracket and changed the approach of their next two opponents. Considering they came in as the eighth seed, and the expectation of being the first eliminated, playing three games gives the Jayhawks an extra bump in the ranking.
4. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders would have been higher on the list if not for their collapse in the semifinal. An impressive win over West Virginia and a determined comeback win over Oklahoma sent a clear message to the rest of the conference that Tech was in the tournament to win it. As the semifinalist from the winner’s side of the bracket, all the Red Raiders had to do was win one more game to make the final. After getting crushed in the first game, they blew a five-run lead in the second game to send them back to Lubbock a day before they were supposed to. As any coach will tell you: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.” Texas Tech started and couldn’t finish. For that, they miss a medal.
3. Kansas State
The Wildcats found themselves in the semifinal for the third straight year but fell short yet again. Opening day did not show much promise for Kansas State, being run-ruled by TCU. However, stellar pitching led to a win over tournament favorite, Texas, and got the Wildcats right back to where they wanted to be. Then, after eliminating their rival, Kansas State gave the championed Horned Frogs all they could handle in a rematch before ultimately falling. All that considered, Kansas State gets the unofficial bronze medal for this tournament.
2. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys’ tournament told a story of composure. An unexpected loss to the arch-rival Sooners on Opening Day put Oklahoma State one game away from elimination for the rest of the tournament. More than once, just one clutch run made the difference in keeping the Cowboys alive and getting them to the championship game. A one-run win over West Virginia, followed by revenge against Oklahoma, set them up in the semifinal against Texas Tech. After forcing a second semifinal against the Raiders, the team came back from five runs down when they had just six outs left. In any movie, that would be good enough. The Cowboys would be number one if it weren’t for the final game. But they take silver both on the field and in performance.
1. TCU
Before you yell bias, remember that the author of this list is a Sooner. TCU was definitely the hottest team coming into Arlington and lived up to that expectation. They cruised to the semifinal by beating both Kansas State and Kansas by run rule. After a day off, a rematch with Kansas State was closer than comfortable, but the Frogs were up to the challenge and matched every run the Wildcats put up until taking the lead for good. A day later, TCU was the conference champion after jumping out to a quick lead over Oklahoma State. A 4-0 record and a conference championship is more than enough to earn the gold medal on this list. Especially when less than a month ago, fans were doubting they would even make the NCAA Tournament. Because of sheer dominance, the Horned Frogs get the gold as far as performance and have a nice shiny trophy to put in the case.
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