Baylor Bears

Big 12 Baseball Week 2 Preview: Top Four Storylines

By Derek Duke

Posted on February 20, 2025 at 10:25 am

Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, May 28, 2017

After a fun opening weekend, college baseball returns to action this weekend as 14 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.

Arlington Once Again Headlines the Weekend

The two teams who wear purple in the Big 12 will represent the conference in Arlington for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. The tournament features a total of four teams with TCU, Kansas State, Arkansas, and Michigan.

As much as I respect Kansas State and Michigan, this tournament is all about the Hogs and the Frogs. Arkansas is coming off a four-game sweep over Washington State, and their pitching staff is arguably the best not just in the SEC but maybe the entire country with Gabe Gaeckle, Zach Root, and Gage Wood. Offensively, they still have some room for improvement but with that pitching staff of theirs, they may not need a ton of offense.

Meanwhile, TCU is coming off a four-game sweep over San Diego on the road. The pitching was a little shakey, but offensively, this team was ready from the jump. True freshman Noah Franco had a breakout performance, while guys like Cole Cramer, Isaac Cadena, and Chase Brunson racked up the hits.

While the focus may be on TCU and Arkansas, don’t sleep on Michigan. They went 4-0 down in Puerto Rico, including a big win over a top-five Virginia team on opening day. They are a sneaky team to keep an eye on in the Big Ten to make the tournament. And as for Kansas State, they need to find some consistency both on the mound and at the plate. They have given up eight or more runs four times in their first five games.

Tournament Schedule

Friday, February 21

#22 TCU at Michigan

Kansas State at #5 Arkansas

Saturday, February 22

Michigan at Kansas State

#5 Arkansas at #22 TCU

Sunday, February 23

Kansas State at #22 TCU

Baylor’s Pitching Staff

One of the things that caught my attention from opening weekend was Baylor, specifically their starting pitching. Ethan Calder put on an absolute clinic against Youngstown State, striking out 13 batters in just five innings.

In Baylor’s second game, Bryson Bales cruised to an easy win, going four innings and striking out eight. Sunday was a collective effort from the staff, but I was still very impressed with Baylor’s presence on the mound. They even shut out UTSA on Tuesday with a 5-0 win to move to 4-0. Gonzaga should be a much better test for the Bears this weekend.

Is Cincinnati for Real?

Perhaps the biggest story in the Big 12 from opening weekend was Cincinnati. The Bearcats managed to take a series from a top-15 Duke team on the road. Was it a fluke, or are the Bearcats for real?

Kerrington Cross is without question the leader of this team, and he started off hot last weekend, crushing two home runs in Durham. Meanwhile, Donovan Ford had a big series as well, with five hits and four RBIs. Plus, their pitching staff did a fairly decent job against an outstanding Duke offense.

UNLV is by no means a juggernaut, but they did manage to beat Indiana twice last weekend. However, they were absolutely blown out of the water by Oregon State and Xavier as they were outscored 26 to 1. This four-game series in Vegas should give us a better idea of just who this Cincinnati team really is.

Who is on Upset Alert?

Bryant at UCF

The Knights welcome the reigning America East champions to Orlando this weekend when they host Bryant for a three-game series. The Bulldogs have only played two games so far in this early season against Davidson, where they split. Pitching depth is a concern for Bryant, but they do have one of the best offenses among the mid-majors.

For UCF, it will be all about slowing them down at the plate. I know the Knights have the offense to do some damage, but all eyes will be on UCF’s starters this weekend for me. The Knights did a great job against Siena opening weekend, and they look to continue that starting Friday. I would also like to add that Arizona, Arizona State, and Texas Tech have some tough matchups against some mid-major programs and that they, too, should be on upset alert this weekend.