Conference play is underway in Big 12 country as all 14 teams took the field this past weekend. We are moving along through conference play, so now is the time when teams begin to separate themselves atop the standings. And we’re seeing exactly that. Keep in mind, things can change quickly in the Big 12 from week to week, but here are my Big 12 baseball power rankings after the fifth weekend of action in conference play.
#1 Kansas Jayhawks
Say hello to the new No. 1 team in the Big 12. After weeks of UCF being on top, the Kansas Jayhawks now have taken the top spot after sweeping the Knights this past weekend. They started off on Friday winning in extras before taking the doubleheader on Saturday in a pair of close battles. Either way, Kansas came out with a perfect 3-0 weekend.
#2 UCF Knights
I know they got swept, which probably deserves a bigger bump down, however, UCF is still 10-5 in Big 12 play. Plus, the team they are tied with (West Virginia), they do have a series win over. It wasn’t a great weekend for the Knights, but they are still a solid team.
#3 West Virginia Mountaineers
Outside of a weird Saturday game in Lubbock, West Virginia was able to lock up a series win over Texas Tech on Sunday. In both wins, the Mountaineers scored at least ten runs, which is a good sign for the offense after a tough series the week before against UCF.
#4 Arizona State Sun Devils
Things got a bit chippy against Utah this past weekend, especially in their Friday night loss to the Utes. Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist was tossed after a heated discussion with the umpires. After he took his time leaving the field, the umpires got together and decided to eject Utah pitcher Colter McAnelly. However, Arizona State responded in a big way by taking back-to-back games against Utah to take the series.
#5 Kansas State Wildcats
There’s always a team that gets a big bump after a win and that team this week will be Kansas State. The Wildcats were able to win the first two games of their series against Oklahoma State and nearly completed the sweep on Sunday but just fell a little short. But thanks to other teams falling off, they were able to benefit.
#6 TCU Horned Frogs
The bad news for TCU is that they got pushed down after a loss to Arizona. The good news is that they only moved one spot lower due to everyone else crapping the bed last weekend. Out of all the weekends to lose, I guess TCU picked a good one.
#7 Oklahoma State Cowboys
I decided not to punish Oklahoma State after a tough series against Kansas State. Maybe my logic is flawed, but they do have a series win over the team they are ranked ahead of.
#8 Cincinnati Bearcats
Just when I gave up on the Bearcats, they pull me back in. Cincinnati hosted a red-hot Baylor team and was able to take two out of three from the Bears. Maybe this will be the start of a nice run for the Bearcats and give them the boost that they desperately needed.
#9 Baylor Bears
I really thought that last weekend was the opportunity of a lifetime for Baylor. They were 7-5 in conference play entering their series against Cincinnati and had a chance to cement themselves as a postseason threat. But unfortunately for them, it didn’t happen.
#10 Arizona Wildcats
Maybe I am putting too much stock into a series win over TCU, but I have been waiting on this team all year to show up and they finally did. Now at 5-10 in Big 12 play, they aren’t completely dead, but they still have a long way to go.
#11 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Another weekend means another series loss for the Red Raiders. This time it came at the hands of West Virginia and of course, they gave up a ton of runs in their two losses. Until the pitching picks up, they are going to have a tough time winning games consistently.
#12 Utah Utes
One could argue that the Utes don’t deserve to be this far down the rankings but for me it was a coin toss between them and Texas Tech. The good news is that we will find out who the better team is between the two this upcoming weekend.
#13 BYU Cougars
I know BYU won a series, but it was against Houston. Their 8-7 record may seem on paper, but I am just not a big believer that they are a great team. A sweep over Houston was much needed though.
#14 Houston Cougars
I thought Houston showed some improvement a week ago, but you can now throw that out the window after getting swept by BYU. The Cougars now hold the worst record in Big 12 play sitting at 3-12.
