Big 12 baseball is still in full swing as we are heading into the final weekend of conference play. For those not familiar with college baseball, it truly is an underrated sport. There’s always plenty of action and upsets going on during any given day. As for this weekend, here are three things to keep an eye on in the Big 12.
The Conference Title Race
With the way things are sitting right now, there are just two teams left who can win a regular-season crown. Those two teams are the Kansas Jayhawks and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Kansas had a chance to clinch last weekend, but West Virginia had other plans for them. The Mountaineers swept the Jayhawks and now find themselves just one game back in the conference standings.
The Jayhawks face BYU, while the Mountaineers take on TCU. Obviously, Kansas has the easier weekend, but if the Jayhawks slip up and West Virginia sweeps the Horned Frogs, they will win the Big 12 title for the second straight year. Buckle up because this weekend is when we finally crown a Big 12 champion.
TCU’s Bubble Watch
While all eyes will be on West Virginia when it comes to the conference championship race, don’t forget about TCU either. In fact, this weekend is just as important for TCU as anyone else in the Big 12.
In D1Baseball’s latest postseason projections, TCU was listed as one of the last four teams to get in the field of 64. While their record is fine, their RPI leaves a lot to be desired in the 40’s.
If the Horned Frogs lose this series or get swept, then they are likely going to be on the outside looking in during conference tournament week. That is a scary place to be because if they aren’t able to make a run in Arlington, then they can kiss their postseason dreams goodbye. It’s hard to imagine a world where this TCU team misses the postseason after being picked to win the conference by a large margin.
Can Arizona State Bounce Back?
One of the most fascinating developments in the latest postseason projections by D1Baseball was Arizona State falling to a three seed after a rough weekend against Oklahoma State.
The Sun Devils are 17-10 in Big 12 play and are sitting at third in the conference standings. They have a great overall record, but their RPI is in the late 40s, which isn’t anything to brag about.
Well, this weekend they get a bone thrown to them because they face Houston, which is by far the worst team in the conference. If Arizona State is able to sweep Houston and reach 20 conference wins, then that should put them back in the two-seed conversation.
