Big 12 Baseball Power Rankings

1. TCU Horned Frogs (6-1)

The No. 1 team in the nation checks in at No. 1 in our power rankings. I like their schedule a bit better than Tech’s, opening the season against Penn State and then following it up against traditional power Arizona State. They did have an ugly 13-9 loss in the opener, but I consider that just as ugly as Tech losing a four run lead to Mississippi State.

2. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1)

Texas Tech checks in at No. 2 in our rankings coming fresh off their sweep of the Cal Bears in Lubbock this past weekend. Before everyone gets angry about Tech not being ranked first, TCU and Tech are in a virtual dead heat in my power rankings. They also are in the same tournament this weekend and we’ll see who is really better than who then.

3. West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0)

In the world of power rankings, beating a better opponent gets you a higher ranking. So here is West Virginia sitting at No. 3 after only playing three games. The main reason is they beat the defending National Champion, Coastal Carolina, and they did it in dominant fashion winning one of the games 22-9. Maybe they should be No. 1?

4. Baylor Bears (8-0)

Yes, the Bears are 8-0, but they haven’t played anyone of note. With no disrespect, they’ve been up to what D1 clubs would consider high school JV teams.

5. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1)

Oklahoma hasn’t truly been relevant in baseball since 1994. This year might not change that, but at least they are out of Stillwater’s shadow for the time being. I will be shocked if they hold this position as the season continues.

6. Kansas State Wildcats (6-2)

Kansas State needs to be higher. They beat South Carolina on the road. They should be higher. Might be a sneaky good team this year. Just like every other sport. Hmm...

7. Texas Longhorns (5-3)

Watch out for David Pierce, the new Longhorn coach. It’s the start of a new era in Austin and Pierce should do some big things with this team. However, his first year as coach may not be it. His teams have qualified for the NCAA tournament the last 5 seasons and has a .644 winning percentage as head coach for his career. Oh and those 5 years making the tournament... he’s only been a head coach for 5 years (Tulane and SHST).

8. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3)

Oklahoma State is normally one of the teams that starts slow and comes on strong during the stretch. The same thing happened last year which saw OSU get swept by Texas Tech, but finished the year strong and made an appearance in the College World Series. Unless they were completely gutted, look for OSU to push into the middle of the pack when conference play starts.

9. Kansas Jayhawks (2-5)

Kansas did itself no favors in scheduling Stanford. Just asking for trouble.