Big 12 Baseball: Ranking the Series for Week 11
After an incredible weekend of baseball last week, we now enter the final few weekends of the regular season. West Virginia jumped out in front in the Big 12 Conference race with a sweep over TCU, while Oklahoma shockingly swept arch rival Texas.
This time around, there’s some more action that will really decide things down the stretch. So, let’s just right in and discuss.
Here’s a look at each of this weekend’s series, ranked from snoozer to must-watch TV.
Snoozer: No. 18 West Virginia (30-11, 8-4) at Baylor (15-26, 6-12)
This, quite literally, could be a sleeper or letdown weekend for West Virginia if it doesn’t approach things the right way. But that seems unlikely. “Yeah, we’re going in and we’re not really playing against the other team. We’re playing against ourselves. We’re just gonna go out and try to out-compete everybody,” said star pitcher Blaine Traxel. Not only do the Mountaineers figure to have that mindset, but this is just an atrocious Baylor team. The record is the case for a reason, and that’s because the Bears just aren’t very good. West Virginia is on top of the league at the current moment because it is very good. JJ Wetherholt has been pummeling the ball, and the pitching staff, with the likes of Traxel, has been quite consistent.
If You’re Not Busy: Kansas (20-21, 5-10) at Oklahoma (22-19, 7-8)
You might look and immediately think, ‘Surely there’s another series that merits more consideration as something to turn on in the background than one between two teams that are on the lower half of the Big 12 totem pole.’ But this series actually has serious implications for the hosts. The Sooners are tied for the league lead with eight Quad 1 wins, which puts them as one of the last teams out of the NCAA Tournament field at the current moment. Their sweep of Texas was truly monumental in picking up three of those Top 50 victories, and it surged them 24 spots in the RPI. If Oklahoma can follow that up with a huge weekend, that could put it on the right side of the ball. On the other side of things, Kansas would like to come into Norman and grab a series victory that helps solidify its chances of making the Big 12 Tournament. Right now, the Jayhawks are two games ahead of Baylor in the loss column, but a game back in the win column, although they swept the series between the two in Lawrence.
Must-See TV: No. 14 Texas Tech (29-13, 8-7) at Kansas State (26-16, 9-6)
Look no further than Manhattan, Kan., for the biggest series of the weekend. The Wildcats are right there within striking distance of the regular season title, if they can knock off the Red Raiders and move forward with a strong finish. The Red Raiders, too, are in that conversation. They’re the highest-ranked team in the league and are tied for fourth with Texas in the conference standings. Texas Tech’s Gavin Kash is one of the best hitters in the game, and he has plenty of help around him in the likes of Kevin Bazzell, Nolen Hester, Gage Harrelson and Austin Green. Kansas State ace Owen Boerema will try to hold them down, but this hasn’t been his best month in April, so key lineup cogs Brady Day, Nick Goodwin and Cash Rugely will likely be called upon to keep up.
