There is just one weekend left in conference play for college baseball. While there are still several big series ahead, I thought it would be a great time to look at the postseason picture. It’s been a week since I last updated the postseason outlook, but here are the Big 12 teams who are projected to make the field of 64 according to D1Baseball.
Regional Host
West Virginia (13)
It’s crazy what a great weekend can do for a team, and that is the case for West Virginia. The Mountaineers were able to sweep the first-place Jayhawks and pull within a game of the conference standings.
They have a top-20 RPI, and another strong weekend against TCU would only help their case to host a regional in Morgantown. This team has the resume to potentially get into the top eight if things break right for them.
Kansas (15)
After getting swept last weekend against West Virginia, the Jayhawks slid all the way down to the fifteenth seed. While they are still a regional host, keep in mind that only the top 16 teams can do that.
The good news is that a series win against BYU would likely lock up a regional hosting bid, and their RPI is good enough to back it up. However, if they lose,, all bets are off, and it would come down to making a run in Arlington to get back into the hosting picture. The easiest thing for Kansas to do is simply win and lock up a bid.
Other Teams In
Oklahoma State (2)
If not for a slow start in conference play, we could be talking about Oklahoma State potentially being a regional host. But instead, they are one of the highest two seeds, which isn’t a bad place to be.
This weekend, the Cowboys face Arizona, and a sweep could bump them up a few spots. If that happens and they make a push in Arlington, then they would be next in line for a regional hosting bid.
Cincinnati (2)
I have said it before, and I will say it again: don’t look at the record; look at the RPI when it comes to the Bearcats. Cincinnati currently has a top-20 RPI, the second-highest in the Big 12.
Despite their 15-12 conference record, D1Baseball has been showing love to the Bearcats for weeks now. Plus, they have been playing their best baseball over the last month.
UCF (2)
Rounding out the two seeds are the UCF Knights. UCF has a 17-10 Big 12 record, which is excellent, but its overall record isn’t all that great at 29-19. However, they do have a top 35 RPI, which is fine for a two-seed.
The Knights play Kansas State this upcoming weekend, and that really is a must-win series for them because they are just two spots within the line for a two seed. A loss could easily push them to a three seed, which is not where you want to be in the field of 64.
Arizona State (3)
Just a week ago, the Sun Devils were projected to be a 2 seed, but, like I said earlier, a lot can change over the course of a week. Arizona State’s series loss to Oklahoma State bumped them down a few spots, and their RPI doesn’t help their case to become a two-seed, either, sitting outside the top 45.
TCU (3)
If there is one Big 12 team on the bubble, it’s TCU. While they are five games above .500 in Big 12 play, their RPI in the mid-40s doesn’t help their case much. Plus, they got off to a rough start to the season earlier in the year. Their final series of the season is against West Virginia, which is arguably the best team in the conference.
TCU is projected to be one of the last four teams in the field of 64 right now, so a loss could push them out of the postseason projection completely.
