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Big 12 Baseball Week 2 Preview: Top Five Storylines

By Derek Duke

Posted on February 22, 2024

Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, May 28, 2017

After a fun opening weekend, college baseball returns to action this weekend 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 five storylines heading into the weekend.

The Real Test Begins for TCU

After an exciting opening weekend for the Frogs, where they had two comeback wins over Florida Gulf Coast, they now set their sights on a top-25 UCLA team. The Bruins are one of the top two or three teams in the Pac-12 and will surely be in the postseason. Last weekend they swept Gonzaga in convincing fashion and have the talent to compete with anybody.

We saw the bats come alive for TCU in key moments, but I am curious to see how their starting pitchers perform. The Horned Frogs gave up 25 runs in three games against FGCU, and no disrespect to them, but they aren’t as good as UCLA will be. None of TCU’s starters lasted more than four innings, and that was a bit concerning to me.

How Good is Oklahoma State?

It was the same old narrative about Oklahoma State coming into the season. All bats, no arms. That was the opposite of their series against Sam Houston last weekend. In their first two games of that series, the Cowboys scored just three runs and lost both. It wasn’t until Sunday that the offense finally exploded for a whopping 19 runs.

I can only say that we will learn a lot about this 2024 Oklahoma State team this weekend in Arlington. The Cowboys are participating in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. They may have the toughest weekend of any team in the country as they will play Michigan, #2 Arkansas, and #7 Oregon State.

Can Cincinnati Bounce Back?

Opening weekend was rough for both Cincinnati and Kansas last week. The Bearcats started their season down in Florida to take on the Jacksonville for a three-game series but ended up only playing two due to weather. In those two games, Cincinnati gave up 19 runs as Jacksonville took both games of the Friday doubleheader.

Now the Bearcats are heading up to Conway, South Carolina, for the Coastal Tournament, where they will face Ball State, Illinois, and Coastal Carolina. Illinois is a must-win game to start the weekend off right, but Ball State and Coastal will be tough. The Cardinals were picked to finish second in the MAC, while Coastal is the favorite to win the Sun Belt and potentially host a regional. I know the bats are there for Cincy, but I need to see some improvement on the mound.

Can Kansas Take the Next Step?

Plenty of people have been excited about baseball in Lawrence ever since Dan Fitzgerald took over last year. We saw Kansas have some breakout players in 2023, and I am still wondering if this is the year where things start to click. This season got off to a bit of a shaky start after dropping a series to UIC, but they did manage to rebound on Sunday.

I know Kodey Shojinaga and Jake English are two of the best at the plate, but this pitching staff worries me. Patrick Steitz was the only starting pitcher I was impressed with, but they will need more than him this weekend going into the Round Rock Baseball Classic, where they will face Texas State, Washington State, and Kentucky. It’s very possible that two of the three teams they will see this weekend are going to be in the postseason.

Who is On Upset Alert?

I have two teams to keep an eye on for this weekend. Oklahoma and West Virginia.

After an impressive weekend in Arlington, the Sooners are hosting Wright State for a three-game series. While that may not sound like much, Wright State was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon.

Meanwhile, West Virginia is looking for a bounce-back weekend as they travel to Charlotte to take on a good 49ers team, and they might have to do it without their best player, JJ Wetherholt.

Also, I want to put #23 Indiana on upset alert. They aren’t a Big 12 team, but they are playing Baylor in Waco this weekend. The Bears looked decent on opening weekend, and this is a HUGE opportunity for them.