Big 12 Baseball Postseason Projections: Who’s In and Who’s Out?
If you are expecting a Big 12 Baseball Sunday-Six Pack, I apologize. Due to severe weather, a lot of games had to be moved around completely. Some teams decided to do a doubleheader on Saturday to wrap up, and some teams had to cancel their games on Sunday, which is very unfortunate.
In fact, there were just seven teams playing on Sunday, and one of the games (TCU) was a non-conference matchup.
So, instead of doing a regular recap, I thought now would be a good time to discuss each team’s postseason hopes.
Potential Regional Hosts
Oklahoma (Overall: 32-17, Big 12: 21-6)
The Sooners are in a prime position to not only host but to be a potential top-eight seed, which would guarantee them home-field advantage until the College World Series. They just completed their sixth series sweep in conference play this past weekend and won the Big 12 regular season title. If they can sweep Cincinnati next weekend, then they could move up even further in the rankings.
Oklahoma State (Overall: 32-17, Big 12: 21-6)
The Cowboys are on the outside looking in when it comes to being a regional host, but there is still a good chance it could happen. Oklahoma State is ranked inside the top 20, and with an RPI inside the top 20 as well, finishing strong will be crucial for them.
Teams That Are In
West Virginia (Overall: 31-19, Big 12: 17-10)
If not for the RPI, West Virginia may be in contention for a hosting bid. But that’s ok because this team is still a lock to make the postseason after their series win against Kansas State this past weekend. Right now, I would feel confident saying they would be a two seed.
Texas (Overall: 32-20, Big 12: 17-10)
Much like West Virginia, Texas could have potentially gotten a bid to host but the RPI is not there. The good news is that they are also a lock for a two seed if the postseason started today.
Bubble Teams
Cincinnati (Overall: 30-21, Big 12: 16-11)
While the Bearcats may not be on everyone’s (looking at you, D1Baseball), they certainly should be after their sweep over BYU. They have already clinched a spot in the Big 12 tournament and depending on how they do against Oklahoma next weekend and in the conference tournament will determine their fate. And it will help their RPI, which is currently at 50.
TCU (Overall: 30-17, Big 12: 13-14)
By no means is TCU a lock to get in right now. They have one more conference series left against West Virginia and a win there would be huge for them, and their postseason hopes.
Kansas State (Overall: 29-21, Big 12: 13-14)
Much like TCU, Kansas State has a little bit of work to do before saying they are a lock to make it. The good news is that they have a chance to get to 16 wins in Big 12 play because BYU is left on their schedule. If they can sweep there and win a game or two in the conference tournament then they should be in without question.
UCF (Overall: 31-17, Big 12: 12-14)
The Knights are widely considered as a bubble team and their loss to Texas this past weekend didn’t help them. But they do have one more series left against Baylor and a sweep could increase their chances.
Kansas (Overall: 29-18, Big 12: 15-12)
While Kansas may have a better record than some of these other teams, they have a bit of an RPI problem. Their RPI is near 70 which is nowhere near good enough to make a regional. They need to beat Texas next weekend and win a couple of games in the conference tournament.
Teams That Are Out
Texas Tech (Overall: 30-22, Big 12: 12-17)
This past weekend pretty much sealed the deal for Texas Tech. At one point they were sitting at 12-9 and finished Big 12 play with eight straight conference losses. Their only hope at this point is to get in the Big 12 tournament and win the whole thing.
Baylor (Overall: 21-29, Big 12: 9-18)
If not for a cancellation, the Bears still had a slight chance of making the Big 12 tournament. But since Texas Tech’s game got tossed, they have officially been eliminated from making the conference tournament which means their season will end after their series with UCF.
Houston (Overall: 25-26, Big 12: 7-19)
The Cougars had a rough first season in the conference and their record shows it (7-19). Better luck next year.
BYU (Overall: 19-29, Big 12: 6-21)
Do I really need to say anything here?
