Big 12 Baseball Roundup: Where The Conference Stands Going Into League Play
The warmup is over. This weekend, Big 12 begins conference play. The TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) top the leaderboard thanks to late-game heroics and depth all throughout the roster. Moving forward, there's nowhere to hide. The Big 12 is one of the deepest leagues in the country – come June, multiple teams may have punched a ticket to Omaha.
Its members regularly schedule difficult non-conference opponents and sign up for loaded tournaments to prepare for a gauntlet that lasts the next three months. Let's take a look at the landscape of the Big 12 entering conference play.
Tier One: TCU Leads Group Of Ranked Teams
Despite several extra-inning victories, TCU is the cream of the crop today in the Big 12. The team is defined by top-end talent and some of the most depth in the country, but they've also exhibited an uncanny ability to rally and win under pressure. There's no question, the Horned Frogs are the best team in the conference today. Further, they're deserving of a top-five national ranking.
Tim Tadlock's Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-2) crew leaves few questions on the diamond. Although they've played a weaker schedule – their last two series came against Texas Southern and Gardner Webb, two teams outside the top-100 in RPI+ – Tech made examples of their lesser opponents. They have a quality win over Oregon and their only two losses came to #8 Tennessee and #6 Oregon State.
How translatable is that schedule to Big 12 play? To be determined. But the Red Raiders lead the country in total runs scored.
I waffled putting the Texas Longhorns in the next section. Ultimately, they're worthy of a Tier One ranking, even though their 7-4 record is a bit misleading. Texas is on a three-game losing skid to #3 LSU, #9 Vanderbilt and unranked (but maybe undeservedly so) Texas State. Talent-wise, they're right there with anybody else in the league. However, stud Tanner Witt has yet to find his rhythm. Outside of Lebarron Johnson Jr., the Longhorns need consistency. But at their best, Texas can play with anyone in the nation.
The Kansas State Wildcats (7-3) lost their ranking after dropping two of their opening four games on the season. Since then, the bats answered, scoring 69 runs in their last two series. The gap between K-State and TCU is lofty, but they're a nose above the teams in the next tier down.
Tier Two: Misleading Teams
By "misleading," I mean by record. A couple teams have better teams than their records indicate. Others have inflated records not indicative of their team talent.
At 7-4, the Oklahoma State Cowboys appear to be off to a rocky start. They've beaten up on teams like Abilene Christian and Central Michigan, but do have that banner win over Arkansas. Losses have come to Sam Houston (a fringe-top 25 team), #24 Dallas Baptist, and #6 Oregon State. While they may not be ready to contend for the top of the Big 12, the Pokes are much more talented than their record indicates.
This isn't the Oklahoma Sooners team that made the College World Series finals two years ago, but they're much more talented than their 5-5 record indicates. They enter conference play tied for the second-worst record. But they have a banner win over #7 Tennessee and losses to Oregon and #24 Dallas Baptist. However, a three-game losing skid that includes Wright State, Pitt, and Ohio State might be sending OU down the wrong path.
Big 12 newcomers Houston (7-4) and UCF (8-1) both got off to a screaming start. With teams like Baylor and BYU in the near future, Houston might ride an inflated record into April. UCF notched an impressive midweek win over Miami and took two-of-three from rival USF. However, they have a much different trajectory up next, with #4 Florida, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State on the horizon.
The Kansas Jayhawks (7-4) were a team worth watching this preseason. They've benefitted from a soft schedule and host #5 TCU this weekend, but play the league's easiest schedule through the rest of the year. Although maybe not on par with Oklahoma State, Kansas will finish with a very respectable record come June.
Tier Three: Work To Do
The remaining four teams – Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, and West Virginia – all have a lot of work to do. The three former teams are expected Big 12 bottom-dwellers, but West Virginia is off to a tough start.
The Mountaineers (7-6) played a tricky schedule filled with strong mid-majors like Charlotte. But two consecutive losses to Western Kentucky before opening conference play was a huge step backward. They're 0-5 in one-run games and 2-7 in two-run games. Perhaps luck will rebound, but this team looks incapable of winning the tight ones.
Team That Impressed Me The Most
Once again, it's the TCU Horned Frogs. Of the seven series sweeps this weekend, TCU did it against the best competition by a mile (next: Baylor over 157th-ranked Oral Roberts) and again in dramatic fashion.
Despite inconsistent pitching from its top arms and hodge-podge lineups filled with freshmen like Sam Myers and Ryder Robinson, the Horned Frogs overcame multiple deficits. They fought back against USC and Arizona State, and fended off the Trojans a second time to go 3-0 during the weekend. That came after two midweek games, giving the Frogs a serious rest disadvantage.
Once ace Kole Klecker hits his stride, and if they can dial in Zack Morris weekly, TCU might be borderline unbeatable.
Note: From here on out, I'm grading TCU on a different schedule than the rest of the pack. It's going to take a truly special weekend to land them here.
Notable Performances
Brady Day, UTL, Kansas State: In 12 at-bats, Day notched eight hits, drove in eight runs, and knocked two homers against UMass Lowell. The Redshirt Junior also drew four walks and struck out just once. On the season, Day has drawn more walks (9) and driven in more runs (15) than he has struck out (8).
Sam Myers, OF, TCU: Just five games into his collegiate career, Myers delivered a walk-off single to beat USC in 11 innings, 9-8. Just two innings prior, he missed an opportunity with no outs and loaded bases to do the same. Myers exhibited exceptional mental toughness to rebound and make sure he didn't miss the opportunity a second time around.
Brian Holiday, RHP, Oklahoma State: The Junior fanned nine batters and allowed just one run in eight full innings Saturday against Central Michigan. He retired 23 of 29 batters faced and ran up over 100 pitches – a rarity in today's game.
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 (12-0)
2. UCF Knights (8-1)
3. #17 Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-2)
4. Kansas State Wildcats (7-3)
T5. #24 Texas Longhorns (7-4)
T5. Houston Cougars (7-4)
T5. Kansas Jayhawks (7-4)
T5. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-4)
9. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5)
10. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-6)
T11. BYU Cougars (5-5)
T11. Oklahoma Sooners (5-5)
13. Baylor Bears (4-7)
Upcoming Weekend Series
Conference Play
Baylor at Houston: Three games (Houston, TX)
BYU at West Virginia: Three games (Morgantown, WV)
Cincinnati at Kansas State: Three games (Manhattan, KS)
#5 TCU at Kansas: Three games (Lawrence, KS)
#24 Texas at #17 Texas Tech: Three games (Lubbock, TX)
UCF at Oklahoma: Three games (Norman, OK)
Non-Conference Play
Mercer at Oklahoma State: Three games (Stillwater, OK)
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