Big 12 Baseball Championship Picture Tightens as Teams Fight for Spots

ARLINGTON, Texas — With just two weekends left in Big 12 play, excitement builds as teams vie for top positions in the standings. West Virginia leads the conference at 18-4, with Arizona State following at 16-8. Kansas and Arizona are tied at 15-9. If the season concluded today, these four would earn first-round byes in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.

Only 12 of the 14 participating teams will qualify for the championship. Currently, UCF is 6-18, and Utah stands at 5-19, leaving them outside the tournament cut-off. BYU holds the 12th spot at 7-17, while Baylor, at 10-14, is just above.

Five wins separate Kansas in third and Baylor in 11th place, intensifying the competition. As it stands, West Virginia and Arizona both have a strong chance to host NCAA Regionals. The players making headlines this week include Kerrington Cross of Cincinnati, named Big 12 Player of the Week, and Harrison Bodendorf from Oklahoma State, who earned Pitcher of the Week honors.

This weekend’s match-ups include UCF taking on Texas Tech, and BYU visiting Kansas. Kansas enjoys its most successful season since 2009, with hopes to tie their all-time regular season win record. Meanwhile, Kansas State‘s Keegan O’Connor leads the team’s offense with a .338 average and 15 home runs and earned Newcomer of the Week recognition.

Arizona also sets records, leading Division I with 29 triples this season, while reliever Tony Pluta has contributed significantly with 11 saves. As teams head into the final stretch, strategy and performance will be critical in the pursuit of a championship.