The Big 12 Baseball Tournament Championship game gets underway later this afternoon in a rematch of the two best teams in the conference this season. It’s a heavyweight match up between No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 West Virginia. The Jayhawks won their first Big 12 baseball regular season title since 1949, while West Virginia finished runner-up, but swept the Jayhawks on the road just a few weeks ago. Here’s a look at tonight’s Championship Game, along with a prediction and preview.
Match Up to Watch: Can Kansas Get the Bats Going?
While we don’t know the pitching match up yet, the Jayhawks got to this point with their line up and big bats, ranking in the Top 5 in most major offensive statistical categories this season in the Big 12 Conference. But go back to when this team got swept by West Virginia two weeks ago, and KU scored a total of five runs over the three games. That won’t get it done tonight against a West Virginia team that scored 22 runs over their three games in Lawrence, and is able to get on base on cause chaos on the base paths, ranking second in the Big 12 in stolen bases this season. KU is going to have to put up at least six runs to win this game, and when they do, they typically win. They’ve scored 17 over two games so far in Surprise.
Key Storyline: Revenge for Kansas?
The Jayhawks got swept two weeks ago at home by the Mountaineers. So the question is a simple one: After being outscored 22-5, is Kansas on a revenge mission, or are they doubting themselves? Kansas has had a very good Big 12 Tournament thus far, and it came one week after a series win over BYU on the road. But who has the more confident mindset heading into this game?
Prediction: West Virginia 6, Kansas 4
The Mountaineers are looking for revenge. And I’m talking about a revenge that goes further back than this season. They got to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals last year after being the No. 1 seed. This is their chance to finally get that Tournament title. They are only two weeks removed from the sweep in Lawrence, and should be confident going into this match up. Sean Smith, who in his last game vs. KU two Sundays ago, went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI on the day. And his hot bat continues this week in Surprise, as he’s had three hits to lead the team and scored two runs in each of the last two games against K-State and Arizona State. Brodie Kresser also had a strong series vs. KU and added two hits and two RBIs vs. Arizona State on Friday night. WVU’s bats are feeling it, and with the stronger pitching, defense and base running, I’ll take the Mountaineers with a 6-4 win.
