Big 12 Baseball Roundup: TCU, UCF Last Remaining Undefeateds
Two weekends into the 2024 NCAA Baseball season, there's a clear alpha in the Big 12 Conference: the TCU Horned Frogs (7-0). Ranked fifth nationally (and as high as third), TCU completed a convincing sweep over No. 20 UCLA on its home turf. That leaves the Frogs and the UCF Knights (5-0) as the lone unbeaten teams in the league.
The TCU Horned Frogs are one of two unbeaten Big 12 teams after the second weekend and are the team to beat in the league.
Of course, being unbeaten doesn't necessarily reflect the strength of a given team just a fraction of the way through the season. The No. 15 Texas Longhorns (6-1) pieced together a convincing rebound while the Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3) had the best overall win.
It wasn't all good, though, as the Baylor Bears (1-6) and Kansas State Wildcats (4-3) might have genuine cause for concern.
TCU The Team To Beat
At this point of the early season, it's inarguable that TCU has been the best team in the Big 12. Although an offensive onslaught from FGCU during Opening Weekend spooked some about the Frogs' pitching, they rebounded fantastically past a strong UCLA team that TCU made look pedestrian.
Of course, that doesn't mean that no team can beat TCU. Both Texas and Oklahoma State handle the Frogs at home and the season is arduous. But given this blistering start and overall depth on the roster, it's setting up like all 12 other programs will be chasing TCU this year.
Perhaps most encouraging for this team was a solid outing by Arkansas transfer Zack Morris on the mound. In his first appearance, Morris was peppered and gave up multiple home runs; this past Sunday, he allowed just two runs and three hits, paving the way for a 13-3 run-rule victory for TCU.
A Tough Pill To Swallow
After its first two games to Sam Houston State to start the year, Oklahoma State turned a corner. They pasted the Bearkats 19-2 on Sunday then rattled off three more victories. Saturday cemented likely the Pokes' best win of the season – a 2-1 pitcher's duel over No. 2 Arkansas.
They turned around and were beaten 8-1 by No. 7 Oregon State on Sunday. Although difficult, even a 4-3 record isn't something to get hung up on for Oklahoma State, especially given the density of talent they've played to start the season.
Sunday was a tough pill to swallow against one of the best teams in the country.
Highs And Lows Of The Middle Ground
Kansas State started the year with lofty expectations. D1Baseball pegged this group as potentially the best in Manhattan in over a decade and debuted them inside the preseason Top 25. But an opening night stumble against Cal, a midweek loss to Arizona State, and missing the sweep against Holy Cross at home cast some doubt on the Wildcats.
The pitching corps has been inconsistent – they have yet to hold an opponent to three or fewer runs – and that shone brightest last weekend when they allowed 24 runs in two games to the Crusaders. There's a long way to go, but K-State didn't jump out to the hot start they were perhaps expected to.
The No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders swept a hapless Texas Southern, scoring a ridiculous 68 runs in three games. That included a program-record 32 on Friday and a 10-run fourth inning Saturday.
The Oklahoma Sooners won three of four over Wright State and the West Virginia Mountaineers split a four-game series with Charlotte.
Team That Impressed Me The Most
Completing a three-game sweep over a Top-20 opponent – a team that could be in real consideration for Regional Host in May – gets you the automatic bid here. The TCU Horned Frogs were the most impressive baseball team this weekend. The pitching staff rebounded after giving up a bucket of runs in the first weekend, and the bats ran deep.
UCLA's rotation is one of the stronger in the country and TCU was able to notch hits from the leadoff man to the nine-hole hitter. Relief pitcher Ben Abeldt was unflappable with a 4-3 lead on Friday night and shut the door on the Bruins. Sunday's outing featured a 13-run onslaught on Michael Barrett, who just the week prior was part of tossing a shutout.
Oklahoma State had the most impressive individual win of the weekend. But TCU had the most impressive overall performance.
Special nod to Texas, who didn't allow a single run to Cal Poly over the weekend.
Notable Performances
Lebarron Johnson Jr., RHP, Texas: In college, pitchers just don't throw eight innings, much less eight shutout innings. Johnson gave up just two hits and rung up eight batters Friday night. The rest of the Longhorn pitching staff stifled Cal Poly, not allowing a single run. But Johnson gets the nod for his longevity on the mound.
Andrew Estrella, INF, UCF: How does one tally 12 RBI on just five hits? Estrella broke logic when he hit two grand slams this weekend over Samford. In addition to the eight RBI those two swings recorded, he drove in another four batters on three hits. Nobody in the country had more RBI than Estrella, who did so in three games.
TJ Pompey, INF, Texas Tech: As a team, Tech had a dynamic offensive weekend. Everybody on the roster got a crack at the plate, but freshman TJ Pompey led the charge. He drove in 11 batters and scored 11 runs himself this week (Tuesday included), earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in the process.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Occasionally, someone outside the Big 12 has such a ridiculous performance that I believe it worth shouting out here. Arkansas ace Hagen Smith recorded 17 strikeouts in 18 recorded outs Friday night. Fifteen of those punchouts came via slider. This amazing outing came against #7 Oregon State – not some directional community college – in just six innings.
The other two starters, Mason Molina and Brady Tygart combined with Smith to throw 33 strikeouts, allowing just six hits, and zero runs in the weekend tournament featuring some of the better teams nationally.
Big 12 College Baseball Standings
Rankings courtesy of D1Baseball. All conference standings are 0-0, as no Big 12 teams played each other. Records accurate as of Monday.
1. #5 TCU Horned Frogs (7-0)
2. UCF Knights (5-0)
T3. Houston Cougars (6-1)
T3. #15 Texas Longhorns (6-1)
5. #18 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-2)
6. Oklahoma Sooners (5-3)
T7. Kansas State Wildcats (4-3)
T7. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3)
9. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-4)
10. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-3)
11. Kansas Jayhawks (3-4)
12. BYU Cougars (2-5)
13. Baylor Bears (1-6)
Upcoming Weekend Series
Non-Conference Play
Baylor vs. Oral Roberts: Three games, Waco, TX.
BYU vs. Gonzaga: Three games, Provo, UT.
Cincinnati vs. Northern Illinois: Four games, Cincinnati, OH.
Kansas vs. Texas Southern: Four games, Lawrence, KS.
Kansas State vs. UMass Lowell: Three games, Manhattan, KS.
Oklahoma State vs. Central Michigan: Four games, Stillwater, OK.
#18 Texas Tech vs. Gardner-Webb: Three games, Lubbock, TX.
UCF vs. USF: Three games, Orlando, FL.
West Virginia at Western Kentucky: Four games, Bowling Green, KY.
Tournament Play
Houston: Astros Foundation Classic, vs. Texas State, #9 Vanderbilt, Louisiana (Houston, TX).
Oklahoma: Las Vegas College Baseball Classic, vs. Pitt, Cal, Ohio State (Las Vegas, NV).
#5 TCU: Kubota College Baseball Series, vs. USC, Arizona State (Arlington, TX).
#15 Texas: Astros Foundation Classic, vs. #3 LSU, Texas State, #9 Vanderbilt (Houston, TX).
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