Big 12 Baseball Roundup: The Haves And The Have-Nots
The Big 12 Conference is splitting into two clear groups: Contenders and non-contenders. But the group of contenders has a messy road ahead.
Eight weeks of the 2024 college baseball season are in the books and the Big 12 Conference is a mess. Six teams sit within a game of the league lead and eight within 1.5 games. With six weeks left in the season, it'll be a sprint to the finish. The West Virginia Mountaineers (19-12, 8-4 Big 12) and Texas Tech Red Raiders (24-9, 8-7) made big strides this weekend. The Kansas Jayhawks (15-14, 7-8) and TCU Horned Frogs (20-11, 5-10) both tumbled to the verge of non-competitiveness.
But the conference race isn't just confined to a few teams – almost the entire league had a notable result this weekend. The BYU Cougars (13-15, 6-9) shocked Texas while the #21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (21-11, 7-5) climbed back into the national rankings.
Let's take a look at the weekend's results.
Week 8 Ascending Teams: Pokes, Raiders, 'Cats, 'Neers
The Oklahoma Sooners might not want to peak at their rearview mirror. After dropping two of three in the final Bedlam series among the major men's sports, Oklahoma State climbed to just game back of the conference lead. With winnable series on the horizon like BYU and Houston, the Pokes sit like a Kentucky Derby thoroughbred, stalking the front of the pack.
Texas Tech has now won six straight games, the longest streak in the Big 12. After a weekend in which it faltered at UCF, the Red Raider offense found its stride again. In their last five games, the Red Raiders averaged 12.8 runs per game and never dipped below 10. When the bats click, Tech is one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
Don't look now, but the Cincinnati Bearcats (19-13, 7-5) sit just a game off the conference lead. They completed a home sweep of TCU, a nice bounceback after losing two of three to Baylor. The pitching staff held the Frogs to exactly two runs each game – all of which came after Cincinnati had firm control of the game. Although inconsistent, the pitching staff has a lot of potential.
West Virginia left little doubt in a three-game sweep over Kansas. Pitcher Derek Clark tossed a complete game shutout Saturday while WVU's bats collected 27 runs in the other two wins. The Mountaineers closed the gap with the Sooners in a flash, as OU lost two of three. Now, WVU is tied for the Big 12 lead. Also notable, WVU recently returned star J.J. Wetherholt.
Week 8 Descending Teams: Frogs, Jayhawks, 'Horns
The 2024 season has been an unmitigated disaster for TCU. The bats have fallen so silent that their entire run in the Big 12 puts them near the national bottom for scoring (4.9 runs per game – remove midweeks and the Houston series, and that plummets to 3.5). Defensively, the Frogs are just fine. Pitcher Payton Tolle is emerging as a star, but without run support, TCU cannot win.
Kansas was looking frisky early in the Big 12 slate, particularly with a trio of rock-solid starting pitchers. But they're on a 5-7 slide in conference play, with their lone saving grace being a sweep over BYU to close March. It appears against serious competition, Kansas isn't a viable darkhorse in the conference tournament or to make the national postseason.
The Texas Longhorns (19-13, 7-5) hold onto a winning conference record, but they headed in the wrong direction this past weekend. Texas dropped two of three to BYU at home in a series that should have given UT sole possession of first place with a sweep. Instead, the 'Horns faltered and now have almost no room for error with series against TCU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and UCF on deck.
Team That Impressed Me The Most
How about the BYU Cougars? Sitting at 4-8 in Big 12 play, it would have been easy to look forward to June and the offseason. Instead, Trent Pratt's crew went into Austin and took two of three from Texas and crawled back into the fray.
Thursday's 7-5 win snapped a five-game conference losing streak and marked BYU's second Big 12 series win (first: Houston in March). Catcher Collin Reuter put on the performance of the year in Saturday's finale, knocking three home runs en route to a 7-5 series-clinching win. He also added a pair of doubles and drew a walk over the weekend.
To say that BYU is now supposed to be a Big 12 contender this season would be disingenuous. But this was a weekend that the Cougar players will remember for awhile, especially Reuter.
Notable Performances
Collin Reuter, C, BYU: Despite falling near the bottom of the standings, BYU baseball isn't worth ignoring. The redshirt sophomore cranked four home runs this weekend, including three in Saturday's finale. Perhaps most remarkably, Reuter had just one homer on the season heading into the weekend.
Derek Clark, LHP, West Virginia: He may only stand 5-foot-9, but the senior posted a complete game shutout against Kansas on Saturday. Just five Jayhawks reached base all game. Clark showed incredible stamina in the contest, logging 123 pitches. The series sweep pushed WVU to first place in the Big 12 and Clark climbs to 3-0 on the season (1.70 ERA).
Mason Bixby, RHP, TCU: The Horned Frogs are missing key pieces in their bullpen. In response, Kirk Saarloos called upon the true freshman Saturday. In 4.2 innings, Bixby fanned eight batters and allowed just one run. The 6-foot-7 righty is worth keeping an eye on, as he was throwing 98 on his fastball and 90 on a changeup.
Big 12 College Baseball Standings
Rankings courtesy of D1Baseball. Records accurate as of Tuesday.
T1. West Virginia Mountaineers (19-12, 8-4 Big 12)
T1. Oklahoma Sooners (17-14, 8-4)
T3. Kansas State Wildcats (20-10, 7-5)
T3. #21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (21-11, 7-5)
T3. Cincinnati Bearcats (19-13, 7-5)
T3. Texas Longhorns (19-13, 7-5)
T7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (24-9, 8-7)
T7. #17 UCF Knights (21-8, 8-7)
9. Kansas Jayhawks (15-14, 7-8)
10. Baylor Bears (13-18, 5-7)
11. BYU Cougars (13-15, 6-9)
12. TCU Horned Frogs (20-11, 5-10)
13. Houston Cougars (16-15, 4-11)
Upcoming Weekend Series
Conference Play
Baylor at BYU: Miller Park (Provo, UT, THU-SAT)
Cincinnati at Oklahoma State: O'Brate Stadium (Stillwater, OK)
Kansas State at Oklahoma: L. Dale Mitchell Park (Norman, OK)
Texas at Houston: Schroeder Park (Houston, TX)
Texas Tech at TCU: Lupton Stadium (Fort Worth, TX)
UCF at West Virginia: Monongalia County Ballpark (Morgantown, WV)
Non-Conference Play
Kansas vs. Pacific: Hoglund Ballpark (Lawrence, KS)
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