Good morning everyone! The regular season is officially over and the Conference tourney is on the horizon. Let's take an in depth look at the conference as a group and give out some superlatives for the Big 12.
RaiderSeymore's Superlatives
- Player of the year - JJ Weatherholt/WVU. One of the best seasons I can remember. Ended the year with a .447 avg/92 hits/15 HR's/162 TB and 35 Steals. Just a crazy good year. (Gavin Kash or Bazzell deserve some run here)
- Pitcher of the year - Gordon Lucas/UT. 2.48 overall ERA over 83.1 innings with 85 Strikeouts. Opponents hit .210 off of him. Braden Carmichael/OU takes the runner up here.
- Most surprising team - WVU. I think they're smallball approach gives a lot of teams fits, but they deserver a ton of credit for their season.
- Biggest disappointment - Baylor. I don't think anyone expected a great year in Waco, but man that team was not very good. It irks the bejeezus out of me that their Sunday win at Dan Law is the only Conf road win the bears had all year......
TEXAS LONGHORNS
- Another year, another UT team with a strong pitching staff that plays well at home. UT led the league with a 4.06 ERA and also ranked 3rd with a .302 team batting average.
- Lucas anchoring the Friday night role really steadied this team. The ability to take a series lead into Saturdays with Lebarron/Sthele still to pitch really was tough on opponents.
- Kennedy/Powell/Campbell/Brown/Guillemette combined for 61 of the teams 83 total HR and really provide a solid core for UT. If you can keep any of those guys silent for a series, the bottom of the lineup really struggles to produces much.
- Why they're dangerous? Their staff. UT has the arms to get into a loser's bracket and still feel good about their pitching situation.
- Why they could get bounced? They depend on the top of their lineup hugely. If any of those first 5 guys have a bad weekend, or 2 guys have slumps..... they're in serious trouble.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
- The conference overall was up and down all season long, but OSU tying for a conf title is actually a pretty wild ride. They lost series against TTU/WVU/TCU but took care of business with a 6-0 record against KU and Baylor. They beat who they should have beat. Series wins against UT and KSU were also big. Outside of a trip to Lubbock, they did get to host the other 4 teams at the top of the standings.
- Riggio anchors a potent offense that led the league with 99HR's. They don't run a ton and really lean on the long ball to generate big innings. Mendham/Schubart/Wulfert/and Benge also extend the length of the lineup for the Cowboys.
- The issue for OSU would be if they get into a loser's bracket situation. Watts-Brown is their only pitcher with more than 5 starts and a respectable ERA. Ben Abram and Carson Benge don't scare anyone.
- Why they're dangerous? They can put up crooked numbers with one hanging breaking ball. I'm not sure what's in the water up in Stillwater, but they continually have some country fed boys standing at 6'5" or bigger. First guy off the bus type fellas haha.
- Why they could get bounced? Watts-Brown doesn't win his start...... They just don't have a ton of options until they can get to Isaac Stebens to close out a game.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
- Anyone want to come up here and throw 300,000 pitches a weekend? I still don't get Mazey's approach overall to his guys right elbows apparent worthlessness, but I digress. Needed one with against UT for an outright championship and got out played for an entire weekend.... yikes.
- They run a ton, they put a ton of pressure on opposing pitching/defenses, and they have a guy named Weatherholt in the middle of the lineup. Dude is a baller.
- I don't love their pitching staff in a regional format. Traxel and Hampton are both very capable guys and in the winner's bracket, they'd be more than fine. The issue would be finding innings to get an extra game in the loser bracket. Robby has 7 starts and an ERA of 7.86. Siegel has 8 starts with a 5.18 ERA. Hagaman and Major are great bullpen options but don't offer a ton of length.
- Why they're dangerous? Like the common mosquito, they bug the shit out of people. A 2 out walk turns into runs more often than not when you can run like this group can.
- Why they could get bounced? If people don't give them free bases, they're scrounging to generate runs. Weatherholt is dangerous every single AB, but could teams simply pitch around him for a weekend?
TEXAS CHRISTIAN HORNED FROGS
- Another team that took care of the bottom feeders during conference play. 6-0 vs BU and KU. They lost series to TTU/WVU/OU but beat KSU and UT in those series. The league really ate itself up in the middle of the standings.
- TCU ran a ton as well. They stole 121 bases to lead the league (felt like TTU let them take every base all weekend). The TCU lineup is good but doesn't just jump off paper at me.
- Taylor and Fontenelle are the heart of the lineup for the Frogs. If you can somewhat keep those guys quiet, TCU will turn to small ball in a hurry to generate runs.
- Klecker is the only player on the roster with more than 48 innings on the year. TCU has tried a ton of guys with starts and just can't seem to find another option to consistently give them innings. Feser/Hodges/Savage give them some options out of the pen, but starting length could doom this club.
- Why they're dangerous? Another pesky team that will jump on teams who make defensive mistakes. Don't let them run wild and earn every base.
- Why they could get bounced? Pitching. They just have to have Braden Sloane not be terrible. In his 10 starts he is usually hooked by the 3rd inning. Need someone to start games and give them length.
KANSAS STATE
- Winning the TTU series and sweeping OU ballooned an otherwise "meh" season for the cats. How does Baylor beat this team 2/3?
- They hit .269 total as a team but did steal 109 bases. Pena/Goodwin/Jones provide the pop for the lineup but they're not super deep. Rugely and lengthen the lineup a bit but they're best hitter, Brady Day, is only a singles machine.
- Boerema and Fajardo are a solid 1-2 punch in a weekend series, but it's another team that you struggle to find a way out of a loser's bracket. They do have the best closer in the conference with Tyson Neighbors but it's finding ways to bridge the gap to him with middle relief guys. Ruhl/Buss/Heyne will be key for KSU this post season.
- Why they're dangerous? They just don't have a glaring weakness. The lineup is a little bit flimsy but they do have pop if you make a mistake.
- Why they could get bounced? Middle innings. Fajardo having a bad outing and trying to piece together outs to get the ball to Neighbors would be tough. They've also burned Neighbors too early a couple of times this season.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
- Feels weird to call a 37 win season disappointing, but it absolutely was. Of the 19 Red Raider losses, they had a tie/lead in the 7th inning or later 11 times. Woof. When Tech is clicking, they can beat anyone, but too many times this year you just couldn't match up a great pitching weekend with the normal Red Raider offense. There are simply 4-5 games this year that you just beg to get back and not be .500 in this league.
- TTU has the best lineup in the conference, and it's not particularly close. The emergence of Zac Vooletich is massive with Washburn and Carter missing a ton of time. Also, don't look now but Hudson White is getting hot. 1-9 there just aren't any breaks in this lineup for opposing pitching.
- Gavin Kash has turned in one of the better seasons I can remember. 24 HR's and 83 RBI.
- Tech has to find an answer on the mound outside of Molina. The complete ineffectiveness of Brendan Girton is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Granted the TTU defense has given Girton less than zero help with an additional 15 unearned runs for Brendan.
- Parish/Petty/Fast just have to have good weekends. TTU does have a ton of depth with their staff, but not a ton of confidence. Robinson/Sanders/Coombes/Free/Beckel also show the depth of the pitching staff.
- Why they're dangerous? TTU is capable of beating someone 17-16. The offense doesn't stop, it's built to score big numbers. Hester and Harrelson are always on base. Green/Voo/Kash/Bazzell are lethal, and now you're at the 7-8-9 of the lineup with Lopez/White/Carter still looming. Just lethal.
- Why they could get bounced? Pitching. Pitching. Pitching. The offense knows it can't afford to have an off day and sometimes that pressure bites them. If you're staff can have a weekend like they did in the regional last year... watch out.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
- This team swept Texas in Austin? Outside of that weekend, they went 8-13 with series losses to TTU/WVU/OSU/Baylor. I think they're season, barring a conf tourney win, is over.
- They hit .285 as a team but only slugged 44 HR's this year. Another team that found a way to manufacture some runs with their 106 steals.
- Madron led the sooners with his 11 bombs and .302 average. Carmichael/Harris/Mackenzie/Spikerman all had respectable seasons but nobody really scares you as a pitching staff.
- Carmichael is a bonafide ace. Hitt and Douthit would provide the other starting options. They also have a good bullpen with Karsten and Campbell. I just don't think they can hit enough to support good starts.
Not in the tourney, IMO.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS AND BAYLOR BEARS
- Just a yikes season for both of these programs, in a year where the Big 12 didn't really have any dominant teams, 8-16 and 6-18 just won't cut it.
- KU was anchored by Jans/Elvis/Shojinaga offensively, but after the top 3-4 guys in that lineup, there just wasn't a ton of protection.
- Baumgartner also deserves some praise for carrying that staff with a 5-1 record and 74 innings pitched. They needed him to win any time he toed the rubber.
- Baylor hit .254 as a team and outside of Branch/Teplansky, they did not have a player record more than 70 total bases on the season. 41 HR's, 299 runs and 271 RBI were all last in the conference by a good margin.
- Baylor also carried a team ERA of 6.36. Rigney/Caley/Helton combined for 28 starts and gave up a combined 113 runs in 136 innings.
I can't quite tell how good the conference was this year, with everyone beating up on each other. It just never seemed like there was a top dog in this league until WVU started to pull away later in the year.
If OSU or WVU can find a way to host a super regional, I think they're both capable. If TTU can somehow find answers on the mound I also can see them winning a regional tournament. I'm still not sold on the longhorns but they're pitching can cure a lot of ills. Overall I would take maaaayyyybbeeee 1 team from this league making it to Omaha.
RaiderSeymore's Superlatives
- Player of the year - JJ Weatherholt/WVU. One of the best seasons I can remember. Ended the year with a .447 avg/92 hits/15 HR's/162 TB and 35 Steals. Just a crazy good year. (Gavin Kash or Bazzell deserve some run here)
- Pitcher of the year - Gordon Lucas/UT. 2.48 overall ERA over 83.1 innings with 85 Strikeouts. Opponents hit .210 off of him. Braden Carmichael/OU takes the runner up here.
- Most surprising team - WVU. I think they're smallball approach gives a lot of teams fits, but they deserver a ton of credit for their season.
- Biggest disappointment - Baylor. I don't think anyone expected a great year in Waco, but man that team was not very good. It irks the bejeezus out of me that their Sunday win at Dan Law is the only Conf road win the bears had all year......
TEXAS LONGHORNS
- Another year, another UT team with a strong pitching staff that plays well at home. UT led the league with a 4.06 ERA and also ranked 3rd with a .302 team batting average.
- Lucas anchoring the Friday night role really steadied this team. The ability to take a series lead into Saturdays with Lebarron/Sthele still to pitch really was tough on opponents.
- Kennedy/Powell/Campbell/Brown/Guillemette combined for 61 of the teams 83 total HR and really provide a solid core for UT. If you can keep any of those guys silent for a series, the bottom of the lineup really struggles to produces much.
- Why they're dangerous? Their staff. UT has the arms to get into a loser's bracket and still feel good about their pitching situation.
- Why they could get bounced? They depend on the top of their lineup hugely. If any of those first 5 guys have a bad weekend, or 2 guys have slumps..... they're in serious trouble.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
- The conference overall was up and down all season long, but OSU tying for a conf title is actually a pretty wild ride. They lost series against TTU/WVU/TCU but took care of business with a 6-0 record against KU and Baylor. They beat who they should have beat. Series wins against UT and KSU were also big. Outside of a trip to Lubbock, they did get to host the other 4 teams at the top of the standings.
- Riggio anchors a potent offense that led the league with 99HR's. They don't run a ton and really lean on the long ball to generate big innings. Mendham/Schubart/Wulfert/and Benge also extend the length of the lineup for the Cowboys.
- The issue for OSU would be if they get into a loser's bracket situation. Watts-Brown is their only pitcher with more than 5 starts and a respectable ERA. Ben Abram and Carson Benge don't scare anyone.
- Why they're dangerous? They can put up crooked numbers with one hanging breaking ball. I'm not sure what's in the water up in Stillwater, but they continually have some country fed boys standing at 6'5" or bigger. First guy off the bus type fellas haha.
- Why they could get bounced? Watts-Brown doesn't win his start...... They just don't have a ton of options until they can get to Isaac Stebens to close out a game.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
- Anyone want to come up here and throw 300,000 pitches a weekend? I still don't get Mazey's approach overall to his guys right elbows apparent worthlessness, but I digress. Needed one with against UT for an outright championship and got out played for an entire weekend.... yikes.
- They run a ton, they put a ton of pressure on opposing pitching/defenses, and they have a guy named Weatherholt in the middle of the lineup. Dude is a baller.
- I don't love their pitching staff in a regional format. Traxel and Hampton are both very capable guys and in the winner's bracket, they'd be more than fine. The issue would be finding innings to get an extra game in the loser bracket. Robby has 7 starts and an ERA of 7.86. Siegel has 8 starts with a 5.18 ERA. Hagaman and Major are great bullpen options but don't offer a ton of length.
- Why they're dangerous? Like the common mosquito, they bug the shit out of people. A 2 out walk turns into runs more often than not when you can run like this group can.
- Why they could get bounced? If people don't give them free bases, they're scrounging to generate runs. Weatherholt is dangerous every single AB, but could teams simply pitch around him for a weekend?
TEXAS CHRISTIAN HORNED FROGS
- Another team that took care of the bottom feeders during conference play. 6-0 vs BU and KU. They lost series to TTU/WVU/OU but beat KSU and UT in those series. The league really ate itself up in the middle of the standings.
- TCU ran a ton as well. They stole 121 bases to lead the league (felt like TTU let them take every base all weekend). The TCU lineup is good but doesn't just jump off paper at me.
- Taylor and Fontenelle are the heart of the lineup for the Frogs. If you can somewhat keep those guys quiet, TCU will turn to small ball in a hurry to generate runs.
- Klecker is the only player on the roster with more than 48 innings on the year. TCU has tried a ton of guys with starts and just can't seem to find another option to consistently give them innings. Feser/Hodges/Savage give them some options out of the pen, but starting length could doom this club.
- Why they're dangerous? Another pesky team that will jump on teams who make defensive mistakes. Don't let them run wild and earn every base.
- Why they could get bounced? Pitching. They just have to have Braden Sloane not be terrible. In his 10 starts he is usually hooked by the 3rd inning. Need someone to start games and give them length.
KANSAS STATE
- Winning the TTU series and sweeping OU ballooned an otherwise "meh" season for the cats. How does Baylor beat this team 2/3?
- They hit .269 total as a team but did steal 109 bases. Pena/Goodwin/Jones provide the pop for the lineup but they're not super deep. Rugely and lengthen the lineup a bit but they're best hitter, Brady Day, is only a singles machine.
- Boerema and Fajardo are a solid 1-2 punch in a weekend series, but it's another team that you struggle to find a way out of a loser's bracket. They do have the best closer in the conference with Tyson Neighbors but it's finding ways to bridge the gap to him with middle relief guys. Ruhl/Buss/Heyne will be key for KSU this post season.
- Why they're dangerous? They just don't have a glaring weakness. The lineup is a little bit flimsy but they do have pop if you make a mistake.
- Why they could get bounced? Middle innings. Fajardo having a bad outing and trying to piece together outs to get the ball to Neighbors would be tough. They've also burned Neighbors too early a couple of times this season.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
- Feels weird to call a 37 win season disappointing, but it absolutely was. Of the 19 Red Raider losses, they had a tie/lead in the 7th inning or later 11 times. Woof. When Tech is clicking, they can beat anyone, but too many times this year you just couldn't match up a great pitching weekend with the normal Red Raider offense. There are simply 4-5 games this year that you just beg to get back and not be .500 in this league.
- TTU has the best lineup in the conference, and it's not particularly close. The emergence of Zac Vooletich is massive with Washburn and Carter missing a ton of time. Also, don't look now but Hudson White is getting hot. 1-9 there just aren't any breaks in this lineup for opposing pitching.
- Gavin Kash has turned in one of the better seasons I can remember. 24 HR's and 83 RBI.
- Tech has to find an answer on the mound outside of Molina. The complete ineffectiveness of Brendan Girton is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Granted the TTU defense has given Girton less than zero help with an additional 15 unearned runs for Brendan.
- Parish/Petty/Fast just have to have good weekends. TTU does have a ton of depth with their staff, but not a ton of confidence. Robinson/Sanders/Coombes/Free/Beckel also show the depth of the pitching staff.
- Why they're dangerous? TTU is capable of beating someone 17-16. The offense doesn't stop, it's built to score big numbers. Hester and Harrelson are always on base. Green/Voo/Kash/Bazzell are lethal, and now you're at the 7-8-9 of the lineup with Lopez/White/Carter still looming. Just lethal.
- Why they could get bounced? Pitching. Pitching. Pitching. The offense knows it can't afford to have an off day and sometimes that pressure bites them. If you're staff can have a weekend like they did in the regional last year... watch out.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
- This team swept Texas in Austin? Outside of that weekend, they went 8-13 with series losses to TTU/WVU/OSU/Baylor. I think they're season, barring a conf tourney win, is over.
- They hit .285 as a team but only slugged 44 HR's this year. Another team that found a way to manufacture some runs with their 106 steals.
- Madron led the sooners with his 11 bombs and .302 average. Carmichael/Harris/Mackenzie/Spikerman all had respectable seasons but nobody really scares you as a pitching staff.
- Carmichael is a bonafide ace. Hitt and Douthit would provide the other starting options. They also have a good bullpen with Karsten and Campbell. I just don't think they can hit enough to support good starts.
Not in the tourney, IMO.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS AND BAYLOR BEARS
- Just a yikes season for both of these programs, in a year where the Big 12 didn't really have any dominant teams, 8-16 and 6-18 just won't cut it.
- KU was anchored by Jans/Elvis/Shojinaga offensively, but after the top 3-4 guys in that lineup, there just wasn't a ton of protection.
- Baumgartner also deserves some praise for carrying that staff with a 5-1 record and 74 innings pitched. They needed him to win any time he toed the rubber.
- Baylor hit .254 as a team and outside of Branch/Teplansky, they did not have a player record more than 70 total bases on the season. 41 HR's, 299 runs and 271 RBI were all last in the conference by a good margin.
- Baylor also carried a team ERA of 6.36. Rigney/Caley/Helton combined for 28 starts and gave up a combined 113 runs in 136 innings.
I can't quite tell how good the conference was this year, with everyone beating up on each other. It just never seemed like there was a top dog in this league until WVU started to pull away later in the year.
If OSU or WVU can find a way to host a super regional, I think they're both capable. If TTU can somehow find answers on the mound I also can see them winning a regional tournament. I'm still not sold on the longhorns but they're pitching can cure a lot of ills. Overall I would take maaaayyyybbeeee 1 team from this league making it to Omaha.
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