Predicting The Big 12 Championship College Baseball Tournament

The college baseball regular season in the rearview mirror and the Big 12 Championship bracket is set. Texas clinched the top overall seed with a dominant sweep over West Virginia in the season finale while Oklahoma State earned the No. 2 seed. Each year, the Big 12 tournament is an arduous grind to the top, with no team repeating as tourney champions since conference realignment shook things up in 2013.

Texas has the most Big 12 tournament championships (5) followed by Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU all with three. Nebraska notably has four, but they no longer play in the Big 12.

Big 12 Baseball Tournament Predictions: First-Round Games

Game 1 – No. 4 TCU vs. No. 5 Kansas State: Winning the conference tournament is all about hitting the right stride at the right time and catching fire down the stretch. TCU is the winner of eight of their last nine games, including this past weekend's series at Kansas State. The Frogs return to their own backyard and advance.

The pick: TCU

Game 2 – No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Kansas: Little to write about here. This should be a comfortable Longhorn win, although crazier things have happened.

The pick: Texas

Game 3 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Oklahoma: The Sooners got frisky last year as the No. 3 seed and took that momentum all the way to the College World Series final. Unfortunately, that team is not this team and the Pokes took care of business when they needed to this past weekend

The pick: Oklahoma State

Game 4 – No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Texas Tech: WVU managed to take two of three games from Tech just two weekends ago. However, we're no longer in the friendly confines of Morgantown. Never does this tournament play out the chalky way, and WVU gets their first strike early.

The pick: Texas Tech

Round 2

Game 5 – Kansas State OVER Kansas: The Jayhawks make an expected early exit.

Game 6 – West Virginia OVER Oklahoma: The Sooners can't capture the magic of 2022 and are in danger of not making the NCAA Tournament.

Game 7 – Texas OVER TCU: There are too many questions surrounding TCU's pitching depth. With a Game 1 win, they likely turn to a depth piece and save their most dependable arms like Louis Rodriguez or Kole Klecker for an elimination spot.

Game 8 – Texas Tech OVER Oklahoma State: Like TCU, I have questions about Oklahoma State's pitching depth. They'll likely hold the big arms for a more dire situation.

Elimination Round

Game 9 – TCU OVER Kansas State: The Wildcats had a nice season, but it ends against a surging TCU team. K-State had a really poor record against the conference's top teams and won all of the games they were supposed to.

Game 10 – Oklahoma State OVER West Virginia: Just because WVU isn't going home with a Big 12 title doesn't mean their season is over. They're a frontrunner to host a Regional tournament.

Semifinals

Game 11 – TCU OVER Texas: The Longhorns can save their best pitchers for an elimination game, and TCU plays best with their backs against the wall. At the very least, the Frogs force a win-or-go-home against the 'Horns.

Game 12 – Oklahoma State OVER Texas Tech: 12 of the Red Raiders' total losses this season game in-conference. It's a tough league that plays well to counter them. Chances are, they're not moving on.

Game 13 – TCU OVER Texas: It's never the chalk. It's never the No. 1 seed. TCU is hitting their stride at the right time and continues to find ways to win.

Game 14 – Oklahoma State OVER Texas Tech: As mentioned, Texas Tech is a dangerous team that plays in an impossible league. Think of them like UConn in March Madness – nothing special until they get out of the league and play other teams in the postseason.

Big 12 Championship Prediction

Championship – TCU vs. Oklahoma State: Momentum, momentum, momentum. After an ugly middle of the season, the Frogs are playing their best baseball since opening weekend now. A couple of arms are rising to the top as dependable, namely Rodriguez and Klecker. If they're going to get in an offensive shootout with the Pokes, TCU sits in a good spot.

The pick: TCU OVER Oklahoma State

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