Big 12 Baseball: K-State vs. Texas Headlines Weekend Preview
After another fun week, college baseball returns to action as 13 Big 12 teams are hitting the diamond. There are several big-time matchups ahead, so let’s take a look at the top storylines heading into the weekend.
The Little Apple Will Be Buzzing
The headliner of the weekend is going to be this series between Texas and Kansas State. The Wildcats have taken control of the Big 12 at the moment and are back inside the top 25 after a couple of weeks out. Their offense has been electric this season, as they have five players batting over .300 right now. Meanwhile, Texas has six, which is pretty crazy. The two guys to watch this weekend are Brady Day (Kansas State) and Jared Thomas (Texas). Both of them are batting over .410 and are currently in the running for Big 12 Player of the Year. I am expecting fireworks at Tointon this weekend, and lots of runs will be scored.
Is Oklahoma State Ready?
One team that I felt was overlooked a bit was Oklahoma State. They had that same stigma attached to them where it was all offense and nothing else. And while their offense has been good at times, their pitching is what has caught me by surprise. The Cowboys currently have the second-best ERA (3.58) in the Big 12, and I feel like this team is starting to hit their stride right now. And just like their opponent this weekend (West Virginia), they have an opportunity to launch themselves into the conference title race top contender conversation.
Can TCU Turn it Around?
Perhaps one of the biggest storylines in all of college baseball is what in the world is going on with TCU. They were a preseason top-five team and fell out of the top 25 within a month. Right now, the Horned Frogs are dead last in the Big 12 (2-7) and have yet to play up to their full potential. Despite that, I still think they have the best roster in the conference, but that doesn’t mean anything unless they start showing me more on the field. Houston is no slouch, so TCU will have their work cut out for them this weekend.
Who Will Step Up in Orlando?
If not for the Texas/Kansas State series, this one may be my favorite between Texas Tech and UCF. While the Red Raiders have the best team batting average in the Big 12 (.328), they are tenth in team ERA (5.36). The one thing with Tech this year is that their offense hasn’t been able to consistently carry them like in previous years. Meanwhile, UCF is in the top five in the conference in terms of both batting average and team ERA. One of these two teams is going to need to take that next step, and this weekend is going to tell us a lot.
The Battle to Be Above .500
One of the underrated matchups this weekend will be played in Provo with that beautiful backdrop they have there. Both teams are sitting at 4-5 in Big 12 play and someone will have an opportunity to go above .500. The good news for the Jayhawks is that BYU has been very inconsistent at the plate this season and their pitching staff should be able to take advantage of that.
Which Team is More Improved?
Two teams nobody really talks about much this season are Baylor and Cincinnati. Both have had their ups and downs this season, but both have played better than I expected. The one thing I know about each team is that they have really struggled on the mound. Both of them have an ERA over six and have given up a ton of runs so far this season. And while Baylor has also struggled at the plate (.250 team batting average), I think Cincinnati has the advantage at the plate as they have six batters hitting over the .300 mark.
Oklahoma Needs a Bounce Back Weekend
While the Sooners managed to win their Friday matchup against West Virginia, they ended up dropping both games of their doubleheader on Saturday and lost the series. It came as a total surprise to me because I thought Oklahoma was the better team by a mile. Well, now they get a short break from conference play against Lamar this weekend, and it will give them the opportunity to get back on track and get ready for the tough battles ahead.
