Conference play is underway in Big 12 country, with all 14 teams taking the field this past weekend. We are moving through conference play, so now is the time when teams begin to separate themselves at the top of 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 sixth weekend of action in conference play.
#1 Kansas Jayhawks (Last Week: No. 1)
Once again, Kansas is at the top of my Big 12 power rankings. Despite getting run-ruled on Friday, the Jayhawks won back-to-back games against the Cowboys in Stillwater. This team is now 14-4 in the conference and is in total control of its own destiny.
#2 West Virginia Mountaineers (Last Week: No. 3)
Much like Kansas, West Virginia had a disastrous start to its series against Houston, losing an ugly game on Friday. However, the Mountaineers won the final two games with ease, scoring 7 runs in each and giving up just 4 runs in 18 innings.
#3 Arizona State Sun Devils (Last Week: No. 4)
Like the two teams ahead of them, Arizona State lost by 10 runs to BYU in its series opener in Provo. But then the Sun Devils came to life, scoring 25 runs in the final two games to take the series.
#4 Kansas State Wildcats (Last Week: No. 5)
Kansas State nearly pulled off a sweep over Arizona this past weekend, but the pitching fell apart on Sunday. Still, with the win, the Wildcats are back to .500 in conference play and are still in the mix for a Big 12 title.
#5 TCU Horned Frogs (Last Week: No. 6)
TCU jumps up a spot despite a close call against Baylor. The Horned Frogs lost game one on Friday but won two games on Sunday due to the weather. Their series could have gone either way,, but luckily they squeaked by a pesky Baylor team.
#6 Cincinnati Bearcats (Last Week: No. 8)
Two weeks ago, I was out on this team, and for the second weekend in a row, they surprised me. This past weekend, they took down UCF on the road, which is not easy to do, and now they are in a great spot to make the postseason.
#7 UCF Knights (Last Week: No. 2)
At one point, this team was atop the Big and number one in my power rankings. But that now feels like a lifetime ago after back-to-back series losses. Last weekend, it was against Kansas, and this past weekend, they got beaten by Cincinnati, which I didn’t see coming.
#8 Oklahoma State Cowboys (Last Week: No. 7)
When you play a team as good as Kansas and fall short, I am not going to punish you too much. The Cowboys actually ran roughshod over the best team in the Big 12 on Friday, but simply couldn’t finish the job in the final two games.
#9 Utah Utes (Last Week: No. 12)
Just when I think Utah’s run is coming to an end, they go out and play great. The Utes swept the Red Raiders and did what they do best: score a ton of runs. Now Utah is back to .500 in conference play heading into the final weekend of April.
#10 Arizona Wildcats (Last Week: No. 10)
After losing the first two games of their series with Kanas State, the Wildcats were able to salvage the final game of the series with an 11-7 victory over the other Wildcats. A KSU error led to Arizona scoring two runs in the 5th, which put them in the lead, and then they had to hang on over the final few innings to salvage a game in the series.
#11 Baylor Bears (Last Week: No. 9)
Baylor was put into a tough spot on Sunday. After taking game one, the weather forced them into a doubleheader on Sunday, and they fell just a little short in both games, losing by one run.
#12 BYU Cougars (Last Week: No. 13)
Even though BYU lost, they still got a bump from the teams around them. The good news is that they did beat Arizona State in game one before completely falling apart in the last two games of the series.
#13 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Last Week: No. 11)
It’s the same problem every weekend for this team. They can’t pitch, and that’s why they got swept by Utah, giving up 28 runs in three games. This team has dug itself into a massive hole.
#14 Houston Cougars (Last Week: No. 14)
The Cougars remain at the bottom after yet another series loss. But at least they were able to win a game against West Virginia and not get swept.
