Barry Lewis
Big 12 Baseball: Three Scenarios Remain To Determine Regular-Season Champion(s)
Before this weekend, multiple scenarios would determine the Big 12 regular-season champion(s). Thanks to the games in Lubbock and Waco on Thursday, the picture is more precise.
TCU has finished their Big 12 play and is playing a non-conference series against Santa Clara this weekend. They are 16-8 in conference games and now know they are Big 12 Champions. The outstanding questions are whether they will be the outright champ or share the championship with Texas Tech or Oklahoma.
In the first game of the weekend series, Oklahoma defeated Texas Tech 13-8 in Lubbock. This win gave TCU their share of the title. Moments later in Waco, Baylor, who had been down 11-3 in the bottom of the 7th, had a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to beat Oklahoma State 13-11. The loss gave Oklahoma State their ninth conference loss and took them out of title contention.
The final scenarios all come down to the last two games between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The outcome of those games will determine both the Big 12 regular-season champion(s) and the seeding for next week’s Big 12 Tournament.
As of Friday, TCU is 16-8, and Tech and Oklahoma are 14-8, one game back of TCU.
Here are the three possible scenarios:
TCU will be the outright conference champion if:
If Texas Tech and Oklahoma win one of the remaining games, TCU is the outright champion. TCU would be 16-8. Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma would be 15-9. TCU would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament. OU would be the No. 2 seed as they would have won the series over Tech.
TCU and Tech will be co-champs if:
If Texas Tech wins its remaining games, TCU and Tech will be co-champs. Tech would be 16-8, TCU would be 16-8, and OU would be 14-10. TCU would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament due to their series sweep over Tech. Tech would be the No. 2 seed.
TCU and Oklahoma will be co-champs if:
If Oklahoma wins its remaining games, TCU and Oklahoma will be co-champs. OU would be 16-8, TCU would be 16-8, and Tech would be 14-10. OU would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament due to their series win over TCU. TCU would be the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Whichever team loses the Friday night game between Tech and Oklahoma will be eliminated from title contention, as that will be their ninth loss. Frogs needed Baylor to win at least one in their series, which they did. The remaining games in Waco are still crucial as they will play a role in the tournament seeding for the middle group of teams in the league.
The bottom line for Frogs fans – cheer for a split in the remaining two games in Lubbock this weekend.
Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!
Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.