Big 12 Notebook: May 9, 2025

With just two weekends left in Big 12 play, there is still plenty for most teams to play for.

West Virginia continues to lead the pack at 18-4. Arizona State follows at 16-8 with Kansas and Arizona both at 15-9. If the season ended today, these four teams would have a bye on day one of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship in Arlington.

Only 12 of the 14 Big 12 teams make the Championship field, and there is a fight at the bottom for the final two spots. UCF 6-18 and Utah at 5-19 would both miss the field at the moment. BYU at 7-17 is the 12th team in at the moment, edging out the 11th team in Baylor at 10-14. Only five total conference wins separate third place Kansas and 11th place Baylor.

At the moment, West Virginia and Arizona both have a clear chance to host a NCAA Regional.

Weekly Awards

Big 12 Players of the Week

Player: Kerrington Cross, Cincinnati

Pitcher: Harrison Bodendorf, Oklahoma State

Newcomer: Keegan O'Connor, Kansas State

Weekend Matchups

UCF (25-23, 6-18) at Texas Tech (17-28, 11-13)

BYU (23-23, 7-17) at Kansas (37-13, 15-9)

Cincinnati (27-20, 13-11) at TCU (33-15, 15-9)

West Virginia (39-8, 18-4) at Kansas State (28-20, 14-10)

Oklahoma State (22-21, 10-11) at Baylor (30-18, 10-14)

Utah (18-25, 5-19) at Arizona (33-15, 15-9)

Houston (27-20, 10-13) at Arizona State (32-17, 16-8)

League Notes

Arizona

Wildcats reliever Tony Pluta currently leads the Big 12 and is tied for sixth in the nation with 11 saves. Pluta's 11 saves are tied for the second most in a single season in program history and are two shy of the program record of 13 saves.

48 games into the season Arizona has collected a Division I leading 29 triples, three more than second place at 26.

Arizona State

Cole Carlon has struck out 70 batters in just 44 innings pitched this season, a total good for sixth in the Big 12 despite doing so solely in relief work. Carlon has allowed just 10 hits in his last 27 1/3 innings of work and 47 of those 83 outs come via strikeout. Carlon is 2-0 this season with a 2.45 ERA and three saves and a .132 batting average against  over 44 innings.

The Sun Devils offense is led, among others, by Matt King who has 12 games this season where he has recorded three or more hits, the next-closest player on the team has six. King is second in the Big 12 with a .393 batting average.

Baylor

In 21 appearances so far this season, Baylor closer Gabe Craig has been outstanding with a 2-0 record, a 0.72 ERA, and nine saves. 19 of Craig’s outings have been scoreless, 12 have been hitless, and he has recorded multiple strikeouts in 14 outings. In Big 12 play, Craig has allowed just one run on five hits in 13 innings with a 26:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

BYU

BYU comes into the weekend having won three of their last five games. The Cougars rank in the top five in the Big 12 in doubles, hit by pitches, total bases, RBI, slugging percentage, and runs. BYU is battling with UCF and Utah for the 12th and final spot in the conference tournament.

Cincinnati

Kerrington Cross was named Big 12 Player of the Week for his incredible performance last weekend at Kansas. Cross delivered 10 RBI in an unbelievable 5-for-7 performance in Saturday’s 18-14, 10-inning thriller over the Jayhawks. Cross launched three home runs to tie the single-game program records for home runs and total bases (14), falling one RBI shy of the all-time Big 12 record.

Houston

Houston swept Utah last weekend, its first Big 12 Conference series sweep of the season. Houston last swept a Big 12 opponent in 2024, opening Big 12 play with a sweep of Baylor. The Cougars have won four-straight Big 12 games, the longest streak in the two years since joining the conference.

Antoine Jean has a nation-leading 15.43 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and the fifth-best hits allowed per nine rate of 5.14 while striking out the 10th most hitters in all of college baseball with 96, all in a relief role. Jean is one of two pitchers nationally in the top 10 in both K/9 and H/9. Jean's 58.5% whiff rate on his curveball leads all Division I pitchers who have thrown at least 150 curveballs. His 39.3% whiff rate is eighth-best nationally among pitchers with at least 500 pitches thrown.

Kansas

Kansas has its most wins in a season since 2009 and is one win shy of tying the most regular season wins in program history. The 15 wins in Big 12 games are tied for the most in program history. Through 50 games, Kansas has its best record since 1993, which is also the only year Kansas has ever made the College World Series.

Kansas State

Keegan O’Connor’s .338 average and 15 home runs leads the Kansas State offense and his incredible .706 slugging percentage is first in the Big 12. After pounding a record-tying three home runs and notching 16 total bases to break the school single-game record in helping Kansas State win the series at BYU, O’Connor was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State left-hander Harrison Bodendorf was honored as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season. Last weekend against UCF, a lineup which entered the game second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with a .319 team batting average and averaging over seven runs per game, Bodendorf tossed eight shutout innings and picked up the win, improving to 8-1 this season.

Bodendorf struck out seven UCF batters and allowed just four hits and one walk. Bodendorf’s eight wins are tied for the most in the Big 12 this season and rank 11th nationally, and he lowered his ERA to 2.63, which ranks fourth in the Big 12.

TCU

The TCU pitching staff ranks second in the Big 12 in ERA (4.03) and batting average against (.235). Tommy LaPour is 7-2 this season with a 2.24 ERA, which leads the Big 12 and ranks 15th in the nation, and is fifth among Power 4 pitchers. Offensively, Sawyer Strosnider is among the Big 12 leaders in batting average (.370), OPS (1.104), hits (64), and triples (9); nine triples leads the league.

Texas Tech

Texas Tech will enter the weekend in ninth place in the Big 12 standings with an 11-13 mark. Robin Villeneuve leads Texas Tech offensively with a .340 batting average and team-leading tallies of 14 doubles and a .424 on-base percentage. Logan Hughes is next with a .322 average and leads the team in home runs (16), runs scored (43), and RBI (51). Jack Cebert continues to pitch well for Coach Tadlock with a 6-2 record, 3.28 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 46 2/3innings.

UCF

UCF right-hander Russell Sandefer leads the Knights starting rotation with a 3.07 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 41 innings. Fellow right-hander Alex Galvan is one of the top arms from the bullpen with a 2.59 ERA and two saves. Left-hander Dominic Castellano has also been solid with a 5-1 record, 3.76 ERA, and a team-leading 54 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings.

Utah

Utah right-hander Colter McAnelly heads into the weekend atop the Big 12 in innings pitched at 78 2/3 and fourth in the league in strikeouts with 85.

West Virginia

The Mountaineers are averaging 8.1 runs on 10.3 hits per game. As a team, West Virginia is slashing .305/.405/.470 with 103 stolen bases, which is the second highest in the league. Seven West Virginia starters are batting over .300 led by Sam White at .368.

West Virginia has a league-best 3.77 ERA which ranks 12th in the nation. Twenty pitchers have taken the mound this season for Coach Sabins with a team-high 22 appearances from reliever Reese Bassinger who is 6-0 with a 3.22 ERA.

---

Thanks for stopping by! Follow us on X and on Instagram to keep up with all of our content!