Who Texas Tech Softball will Play in the Big 12 Tournament
There are three games this Sunday that will determine who Texas Tech plays in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
Texas Tech has officially secured the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and the regular-season championship. They’ve won back-to-back titles after a dominant 21–3 conference run.
Today, May 3, is the final day of regular-season Big 12 games and will determine the final seeding of the top eight teams making the conference playoffs in Oklahoma City. The main battle is for the second seed, which can affect who Texas Tech may play in the finals.
Arizona leads Oklahoma State by one game, and if the Wildcats beat the Utes in the series finale today, they will lock in the No. 2 seed. If Arizona loses its last regular-season scheduled game and Oklahoma State beats Kansas, tiebreakers (head-to-head) will be used to determine who plays the No. 7 seed as the number two seed. Once again, it doesn't affect the Red Raiders in the first or semifinals, but it can impact their potential championship opponent.
Who gets in, who is on the bubble, and the sixth through eighth seeds are still to be determined. Baylor, Iowa State, Arizona State, and Utah are all battling for the final three seeds 6, 7, and 8. Utah and Iowa State both have nine wins, and Baylor has ten. If Utah or especially Iowa State loses its final regular-season game, it is in danger of falling to the No. 9 spot and missing the conference tournament. BYU and Houston have already been eliminated from making the Big 12 tournament this season.
Who are the biggest threats to Texas Tech winning the conference tournament?
Arizona is arguably the biggest threat, as they are one of the few teams in the Big 12 that can actually out-slug Texas Tech. The matchup with Texas Tech is complicated, as the Red Raiders lead the conference in home runs, but Arizona is close behind. Arizona has the veteran bats to keep up in a shootout in a high-scoring “Devon Park” environment, which tends to favor hitters over pitchers.
Arizona pitchers have shown a slightly higher strikeout rate this season. If they can rack up strikeouts and force Tech into “all-or-nothing” swings, then they can neutralize the Red Raiders’ big-inning potential. The Red Raiders lost their first game to the Wildcats 0-9 at home but bounced back against Arizona 14-6 and 8-0 to win the series.
If it’s a “pitcher’s duel” semifinal match-up against Oklahoma State, the Cowgirls have the advantage. OSU employs a "spin and location" style that can make Tech's aggressive hitters look bad. The OSU defense keeps the ball low and forces ground balls, taking away the Red Raiders’ ability to hit the long ball. For some apparent reason, these two teams have not played each other this season.
OSU's defense has historically been one of the cleanest in the league. Tech lives to take advantage of opposing pitchers to force walks, errors, or even wild pitches. If OSU stays disciplined and doesn’t give away free bases, it could become Tech’s kryptonite.
UCF plays a style of “small ball” that is the opposite of Texas Tech’s power game. The Knights lead the conference in stolen bases and bunt singles. They put pressure on the infield all the time. Texas Tech’s defense has been good, but it can get loose at times when asked to make quick decisions on the run. If UCF can get lead-off runners on and "chaos" their way to a lead early, it forces Tech to play from behind, something they haven't had to do often this season. The good news, however, is that the Red Raiders swept the Knights on the road this season.
Don’t underestimate Kansas as a potential semifinal spoiler. Like the Detroit Tigers famously did with their pitching chaos, the Jayhawks use a "committee" pitching approach that could cause the Red Raiders' hitters to struggle at the plate. That variety could be a problem for a Tech team looking ahead to the finals if they meet in the semifinals.
Regardless of who Texas Tech faces in the Big 12 tournament, they are the overwhelming favorites and should win it.
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Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.