Big 12 Baseball Roundup: Pokes, Horns Falter, Cougars Shine
There's little reason to overreact to Opening Weekend. The NCAA baseball season is a long one, and teams are going to lose games. Of course, fans everywhere have already cemented their team as completely done or in Omaha after three or fewer games – that's what makes them fans. But let's take a look at how the Big 12 fared after the first weekend of the college baseball season.
The Houston Cougars (3-0) perhaps notched the most impressive series sweep, while the TCU Horned Frogs (3-0) showed some early Lupton Magic. The Texas Longhorns (2-1) exhibited some minor reasons for concern, as did the Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-2). Like we said, it's too early to draw conclusions. But at 0-3, the Baylor Bears might be in for another rough season.
Starting Off On The Right Foot
Of course, coming away from Opening Weekend unbeaten is the ultimate goal. Three teams managed that: TCU, Houston, and UCF, although the Knights had two of three games rained out.
TCU needed a couple rallies and an avalanche of runs to handle a feisty FGCU club. The Horned Frogs' pitching staff should be one of the league's best and deepest this year, but they were offered all they can handle from the Eagles' power hitting bunch. Ultimately, the bats came ready, and TCU escaped 3-0. This series ran for 11 hours and 53 minutes (including opting out of the ninth inning of Game 3) and featured 59 total runs.
We'll talk more about Houston later, but securing a three-game sweep over a projected tournament team is an impressive feat. Unlike the Frogs, the Cougars really left no doubt, winning each decisively.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders may not have escaped Opening Weekend unscathed, but they secured wins over Nebraska and Oregon, two good programs. The Ducks are a fringe top-25 team, are expected to contend in the Pac-12, and likely will play baseball into June. Tim Tadlock's crew was only bested by No. 9 Tennessee on Friday.
Oklahoma went 2-1 on the weekend, also playing in the Globe Life Field tournament, but they managed to beat Tennessee 5-1 on Saturday. That performance takes the top spot as the best of the weekend in the Big 12 (and among the best nationally).
A Stumble Out Of The Gate
Going 1-2 to start the year isn't the end of the world, but it's not the way Josh Holiday wanted to start the year for Oklahoma State. Ranked inside the top 25 nationally, the Pokes were shut completely down at the plate on Friday and Saturday – scoring just three total runs – although they posted 19 runs on Sunday. They visited Sam Houston State, a very respectable program, but one Holiday expects to beat.
Nitpicking wins and losses this early on is a difficult business. Texas had the most surprising loss in the league, dropping Saturday's contest to San Diego, 6-5. Perhaps more surprising, though, was a disappointing first outing for Tanner Witt. Witt missed last year with an injury after serving as the team's ace before. He lasted just one inning, walked three batters, and allowed a run (no strikeouts).
Baylor and Cincinnati failed to post any wins from the weekend.
Team That Impressed Me The Most
I spoiled this one at the top, but Houston's three-game sweep over Binghamton was the most impressive performance in the conference. Binghamton may not be a household name, but it's a program that's invested millions into its baseball program and is projected to be a tournament team come June.
While individual wins – particularly Oklahoma's win over Tennessee – were more impressive one-off victories, sweeping a tournament team takes the first cake. Houston was projected to finish ninth in the Big 12. Stacking up early-season wins might adjust that expectation.
We'll learn quite a bit about Houston upcoming. The Cougars next host St. John's (who took down #2 Florida last weekend!) and then get into a tough four-game stretch against Texas State, #6 Vanderbilt, Louisiana, and Sam Houston State.
Notable Performances
Chase Brunson, OF, TCU: In his first-ever collegiate series, Brunson notched two home runs and two more doubles against FGCU. Additionally, the freshman drew four walks and didn't strike out, finishing with a team-high .667 on-base percentage (OBP). Brunson was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Week on Monday based on his weekend performance.
Mason Marriott, RHP, Baylor: Marriott fanned 10 Nebraska batters (20 batters faced) and allowed just one run in the Bears' opening game. Although the bullpen would allow three runs and Baylor would lose 4-1, Marriott posted one of the best pitching grades in the country, per D1Baseball (71).
Rocco Garza-Gongora, INF, Oklahoma: The sophomore blew the 10th inning open for Oklahoma, knocking a two-RBI single to push the Sooners' lead to 5-1. On the weekend, Garza-Gongora notched four hits and drew two walks in 14 plate appearances.
Brendan Girton, RHP, Oklahoma: When you hold an offense as dangerous as Tennessee's two just one run, you deserve to be recognized. Girton fanned nine Vols and allowed just one hit in four innings. His successor, Kyson Witherspoon allowed no runs and fanned four batters in 4.1 innings. Although Ryan Lambert got the win, these two set the stage for OU's massive win.
Big 12 College Baseball Standings
Rankings courtesy of D1Baseball. All conference standings are 0-0, as no Big 12 teams played each other.
T1. #5 TCU Horned Frogs (3-0)
T1. Houston Cougars (3-0)
3. UCF Knights (1-0)
T4. #24 Kansas State Wildcats (2-1)
T4. Oklahoma Sooners (2-1)
T4. #16 Texas Longhorns (2-1)
T4. #19 Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-1)
8. West Virginia Mountaineers (2-2)
T9. BYU Cougars (1-2)
T9. Kansas Jayhawks (1-2)
T9. Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-2)
12. Cincinnati Bearcats (0-2)
13. Baylor Bears (0-3)
Upcoming Weekend Series
Non-Conference Play
Baylor vs. #23 Indiana: Three-game series, Waco, TX.
BYU at UC-Davis: Four-game series, Davis, CA.
Houston vs. St. John's: Three-game series, Houston, TX.
#24 Kansas State vs. Holy Cross: Three-game series, Manhattan, KS.
Oklahoma vs. Wright State: Four-game series, Norman, OK.
#5 TCU vs. #20 UCLA: Three-game series, Ft. Worth, TX.
#16 Texas vs. Cal Poly: Three-game series, Austin, TX.
#21 Texas Tech vs. Texas Southern: Three-game series, Lubbock, TX.
UCF vs. Samford: Three-game series, Orlando, FL.
West Virginia at Charlotte: Three-game series, Charlotte, NC.
Tournament Play
Cincinnati: Conway Baseball Tournament, vs. Ball State, Illinois, #25 Coastal Carolina (Conway, SC).
Kansas: Round Rock Classic, vs. Texas State, Washington State, Kentucky (Round Rock, TX).
Oklahoma State: College Baseball Series, Weekend 2, vs. Michigan, #7 Oregon State, #2 Arkansas (Arlington, TX).
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