The field of 64 is set as the road to Omaha continued on Sunday. There were six Big 12 teams in action on the diamond as the conference went 3-3. Here are my six thoughts on the Big 12 from day three of the college baseball regionals.
Sunday’s Scores
Kansas State: 7, SEMO: 2
West Virginia: 10, Grand Canyon: 6
Oklahoma: 6, UConn: 4
Florida: 5, Oklahoma State: 2
Louisiana: 10, Texas: 2
Florida State: 12, UCF: 4
Hello Supers
For the first time since 2013, the Kansas State Wildcats are heading to the Super Regionals. While many folks thought that Kansas State would have to beat Arkansas twice to make it out of Fayetteville, it turns out that they only needed to do it once. The Razorbacks were eliminated Sunday afternoon by Southeastern Missouri State, so Kansas State got a bit of a break there. The Wildcats got off to a hot start as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three innings and never looked back.
Meanwhile, the pitching was outstanding for Kansas State between Cole Wisenbaker and Ty Ruhl as they combined for seven scoreless innings. Now the Wildcats are off to face Virginia in the Super Regionals for a chance to get to Omaha.
West Virginia Makes History
The Mountaineers were the second Big 12 team to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals on Sunday. While starting pitcher Aidan Major gave up a few early runs, he did a nice job of settling down as the game went on. Meanwhile, the offense caught fire in the early innings by scoring seven runs in the first three frames.
This game was never really close, and it capped off a fantastic weekend in Tucson for the Mountaineers. The pitching was excellent for three games and the offense really came to play here in this one when they needed it most. Now the Mountaineers will wait to see who they will play next. It’s either going to be North Carolina or LSU as they will play in their first ever Super Regional in program history.
UCF Had a Good Run
After being picked to finish tenth in the Big 12, Rich Wallace came in and took UCF to the postseason in year one. They made a great run in the Big 12 tournament and got to the regional finals. Unfortunately, their pitching fell apart in the fifth inning where they gave up nine runs. Florida State is a good team and UCF just didn’t play their best baseball on Sunday. Still, hats off to Rich Wallace and this team for accomplishing a lot in year one in the Big 12.
Can Oklahoma State Avoid Another Disappointment?
I thought Sunday night would be the night that Oklahoma State advanced, but I must give credit to Florida. They beat Nebraska earlier in the day and then took it to the Cowboys immediately afterwards. After Oklahoma State scored a pair of runs early in the game, Florida’s Brandon Neely came in and absolutely shut down the Cowboys. Neely pitched almost six full innings of one hit baseball and that is impressive because Oklahoma State’s offense has been on fire at home. Now the Cowboys will face Florida again on Monday in an elimination game. If Oklahoma State can’t win that one, it would make three straight years where they hosted a regional and lost.
Oklahoma’s Not Done Yet
After falling to UConn on Saturday night, the Oklahoma Sooners came into Sunday and needed to win two games in a row, and they did. Oklahoma knocked off a talented Duke team earlier in the day before getting another shot at UConn.
With the game tied at three in the eighth inning, Scott Mudler gave Oklahoma their first lead of the game before Bryce Madron brought in a pair of runs to make it a 6-3 game.
Now the Sooners will have another rematch with UConn on Monday in an elimination game.
Goodbye Texas
I am at a loss for words here. Ever since I started working for Heartland College Sports, I have been writing about Texas. After their blowout loss to Louisiana, this will be the final time I ever talk about the Longhorns on this website. I could trash them and say good riddance, but I enjoyed talking about Texas baseball. They played a significant role in the Big 12 baseball scene for decades and now it has come to an end. Texas has and always will be one of the most successful programs in all of college baseball and this conference was fortunate to have them. Instead of saying good riddance, I will say goodbye Texas.
Monday’s Schedule
Florida at Oklahoma State (2 p.m. CT)
UConn at Oklahoma (8 p.m. CT)
