MORGANTOWN — The Big 12 baseball postseason is already here, and some of the first couple of games have already wrapped up. Kansas State knocked off Utah 9-5 in the first round, and BYU run-ruled Texas Tech 18-8, with a whopping 20 hits.
West Virginia has yet to play as the No. 2 seed, which handed the Mountaineers a double-bye in the tournament. WVU plays the winner of TCU and Kansas State in its first game of the tournament, which is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The Mountaineers have a lot of pressure on them, even as the No. 2 seed. In a majority of betting sites, WVU is the favorite to win the conference tournament, even ahead of top-seeded Kansas. WVU has a top pitching staff and a strong offense to support the bookies.
But some teams could stop WVU from winning it all, with teams getting hot at the right time and having a history this season of beating the Mountaineers. Here are some top contenders not named WVU.
No. 13 Kansas
Kansas is the obvious choice to be the top contender as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. But the Jayhawks aren’t the favorite since they were swept by WVU just two weekends ago, vaulting it into NCAA Regional contention.
Kansas is still a formidable foe and finished the season taking two of three from BYU on the road, and has 39 wins on the season and 22 conference wins. The Jayhawks had a couple of ranked wins in there, too, rolling UCF and beating Nebraska.
Kansas continues to beat teams by getting out front and letting the bullpen do the work. Before the rough week against WVU, the Jayhawks rarely gave up a lead. That had much to do with its closer Boede Rahe, who had two strong outings against BYU. He got rocked in a start against the Mountaineers, but bounced back nicely. Relief pitcher Riane Ritter is also someone to watch and didn’t pitch too poorly against WVU. Kansas has strong starting pitching, too, even after a bad series against WVU.
The Jayhawks have big bats and are a top-five home run-hitting team. The long ball was one of the few ways Kansas put runs on the board against WVU. Tyson LeBlanc can knock one out and is top 10 in the Big 12 in homers. Kansas does well at getting on base, creating a lot of pressure.
Kansas doesn’t have crazy stats when it comes to pitching and hitting, and was rolled by WVU, but can still make noise in the tournament with the No. 1 seed.
UCF
WVU lost just two Big 12 series all season, and one of them was at home against UCF. The Knights took two of three games, and both of those games weren’t particularly close. Realistically, WVU should’ve been swept if it weren’t for a massive comeback to take Game 2, avoiding the sweep.
UCF just looked like the better team over the weekend, really getting to the Mountaineers top pitching, creating a lot of base traffic. The Knights scored 20 runs in three games and had 32 hits. Zak Skinner is UCF’s top hitter, and there are two hitters on the team who both lead with 12 homers apiece.
UCF’s strength, though, is its pitching. The Knights are just behind the Mountaineers in ERA in the conference. Camden Wicker is their ace and was recently named to the All-Big 12 second team. Wicker pitched a gem against WVU and went seven innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. In a single-game elimination format, Wicker can be one of the top pitchers in the Big 12. Starter Mateo Gray also isn’t a bad second option.
UCF doesn’t have an easy path, having to face a hot Oklahoma State squad, but the Knights are the only team in the Big 12 this season to look completely better than WVU.
No. 19 Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has been red hot over the past couple of weeks and is currently ranked No. 19 in the Division I Baseball rankings. The Cowboys have won eight of their last 10 games, which included wins over Arizona State and TCU, who both received byes in the tournament. Oklahoma State had come a long way since the start of the season, when it lost its first two games and was swept by UCF in its first Big 12 series. There were other bad losses sprinkled in there, too.
The Cowboys have a pair of outfielders who are two of the best in the Big 12. Alex Conover and Kollin Ritchie were both named to the All-Big 12 first team. Conover is second in the Big 12 in average, behind Big 12 Player of the Year Landon Hairston. Then, Ritchie leads the entire conference with 29 home runs and is second in the nation. Infielder Aidan Meola is also a power hitter, too.
Oklahoma State’s pitching isn’t the best, but it has highlights. The Cowboys’ pitching staff has just two shutouts this season, and both were against Sam Houston really early on. Ethan Lund is their ace on the mound and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 second team.
If Oklahoma State makes its games a shootout, it’ll most likely come out on top and have a chance to keep the offense rolling into the postseason.
No. 21 Arizona State
Arizona State was one of the top teams in the Big 12 to start the season, and then it lost to WVU on its home turf, knocking it down a few pegs. The Mountaineers took two of three games on the road, but the Sun Devils did mercy them in the one win. Arizona State is one of the few teams to do so.
The Sun Devils have one of the best offensive players in the nation, Landon Hairston, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year recently. Hairston leads the conference with a .421 batting average (the only player hitting over .400), leads with a .911 slugging percentage, leads in on-base percentage, is second in RBIs and third in home runs. He’s a stud. Hairston showed it off in the series against WVU and had a home run in every game, making Steve Sabins consider intentionally walking him. Hairston makes the Sun Devils have a chance to win any game.
Hairston’s supporting cast isn’t too shabby, either. Arizona State is third in the conference in batting average and sixth in ERA. Starting pitcher Cole Carlon is one of the top aces in the Big 12, and Nu’u Contrades is one of the better average-hitting hitters in the conference.
In a single-game elimination format, Hairston, with a little help from the rest of the team, can make a run.
