The Big 12 Might Be College Baseball's Biggest NCAA Tournament Wild Card

Seven projected NCAA Tournament teams, multiple potential hosts, and a few dangerous sleepers give the Big 12 a chance to make noise, but can the conference finally turn depth into an Omaha run?

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The Big 12 Tournament is over. Now comes the bigger question: What happens next? With seven projected NCAA Tournament teams, multiple host candidates, and a few dangerous sleepers, the conference suddenly finds itself in a position to become one of college baseball's biggest stories. But can the Big 12 turn depth into a run toward Omaha?

Why Seven Teams May Only Tell Part of the Story

According to D1 Baseball’s May 23 tournament projection, no Big 12 teams are sitting on the bubble, which is great news for the conference. D1 baseball has seven Big 12 teams making the tournament. Of the seven, two will serve as host sites: Kansas (14) and West Virginia (12). The following teams are also projected to make the tournament: Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and TCU. 

Which Teams Have Legit Omaha Potential?

According to FanSided, host teams advance to the super regionals 68% of the time. Both Kansas and West Virginia look to be in that percentage. Both teams finished in the top two in the Big 12, even after a lopsided result in the championship game, and look primed to make a run.  

Kansas Jayhawks baseball coaches and players await the start of the game against Wichita State at Hoglund Ballpark on April 14, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big 12 champion Kansas Jayhawks have a powerhouse lineup, and it will be key to continue that success in the tournament. The Jayhawks have seven hitters hitting above .275 and a team batting average of .288. No one has been better than Tyson LeBlanc, who has a team-high 21 home runs and 59 runs batted in. LeBlanc will look to lead the team offensively, but the pitching will reveal how far this team goes. Pitchers Kannon Carr and Dominic Voegele are the most experienced pitchers this season, with 15 starts each, and those two may have to limit the other team's success at the plate if the Jayhawk offense has an off day. 

West Virginia has a different vibe to their offense; a main difference is a go-to guy like LeBlanc. The Mountaineers' leading home run hitter is Gavin Kelly, with 13. With what West Virginia lacks in power, they make up for it with a team batting average of .305. They also have pitchers they trust in Maxx Yehl and Chansen Cole. Yehl was dealing this season with an earned run average of 2.16 in his fourteen starts. Cole was excellent in his 16 appearances, 15 of which he started. He had a 3.04 earned run average and led the team in innings pitched with 80. 

Both Kansas and West Virginia showed how well equipped they are for a run to Omaha, and they may be the best chances the conference has. 

Could Arizona State or Oklahoma State Surprise People?

While these teams are not projected to be host sites, they still have a chance to stack wins in the tournament. 

Oklahoma State Cowboys infielder Brock Thompson (1) throws over Oklahoma Sooners outfielder Dasan Harris (17) for a double play in the fifth inning of a Bedlam baseball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State, which finished third in the Big 12, is projected to be a two-seed in the Gainesville regional.  You can’t talk about the Sun Devils’ offense without mentioning Landon Hairston, who has a batting average of .413, a slugging percentage of .897, and leads the team with 28 home runs and 79 runs batted in. Hairston's 2026 season was tremendous. The center fielder went hitless in the team’s loss to West Virginia in the Big 12 semi-finals, which cannot happen if the Sun Devils want to get past a potential foe in Florida. 

UCF and Oklahoma State met in the Big 12 quarterfinals, a game that could have affected their NCAA projections. The Oklahoma State Cowboys (23) are projected as a two seed in the Tallahassee Regional, while the University of Central Florida is a three seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional. 

UCF's season was supported by its deep pitching staff, a team earned run average of 4.37, and multiple guys with appearances north of 15. The Knights are positioned to get out of sticky situations in the tournament due to their depth, which will be seen as a luxury when games commence. 

Oklahoma State has an easier path in the projected tournament than the Knights and their offense, with guys like Kollin Ritche and Aidan Meola leading the team in runs batted in, with 74 and 69. However, the Cowboys haven’t performed as well away from home, with a 12-11 record in road games and a 3-3 record in neutral games. If they can be placed in a regional with their host team dominating at home during the regular season, the tournament could be over before it starts for the Cowboys. 

Is TCU a Dangerous Cinderella or a Team Running Out of Time?

Trever Baumler, TCU Baseball | TCU Baseball on X @TCU_Baseball

If any of the aforementioned teams made a run to Omaha, it wouldn’t be a major shock, but if Cincinnati or TCU made a run, it would be front-page news. Both teams had a one-and-done appearance in the Big 12 championship; they look to last a little longer than that in the 64-team tournament. 

Cincinnati has been one of the sneaky teams not only in the conference but in college baseball, ending the season with six straight series wins. Momentum is a powerful thing, and as a projected two-seed in the College Station regional, the Bearcats could create some chaos. 

TCU may be a completely different story than Cincinnati. The Frogs had a chance to climb up the Big 12 standings towards the end of the year, but didn’t take advantage. Injuries have taken Frogs Fan’s expectations hostage. Sawyer Strosnider missed games in the team's finals series in Morgantown and didn’t appear in the Big 12 tournament. If Strosnider doesn’t make it back for the team’s projected Fayetteville Regional, the three-seeded Frogs may come back to Fort Worth empty-handed. 

What Happens If the Big 12 Gets Hot at the Right Time? 

His projections are just that, projections. Seedings can change from new information, conference tournaments finishing, and automatic bids being handed out. 

What can the Big 12 expect? 

They can expect at least five and maybe two more teams to make the tournament, which is the third most among conferences. With two potential hosts and multiple teams peaking at the right time, the Big 12 can be the biggest winner of the tournament. 

Stay tuned to Killer Frogs for the Road to Omaha.

The 2026 NCAA Division I baseball tournament will consist of 64 teams, and the full bracket will be announced on Monday, May 25th. Fans can tune into ESPN 2 at noon ET for the reveal.

For all news, predictions, and outcomes, keep up with Killerfrogs.com for it all. The regional round begins Friday, May 29th, and the College World Series runs from June 12 to June 22nd.