Among Power 5 conferences, the Big 12 is middle of the road in strength, trailing both the SEC and ACC while being stronger than the PAC-12 and the Big 10. Last season, the Big 12 had five teams in the Regionals and both Oklahoma and Texas advanced to the College World Series, with Oklahoma ultimately losing to Ole Miss in the finals. The top three teams in the conference have really separated themselves from the rest of the pack, but there is a chance that up to six teams could qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Conference Predictions:

Big 12 Pitcher of the Year: Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, Oklahoma State

Juaron Watts-Brown transferred from Long Beach State to Oklahoma State this off-season after a stellar 2022 season as a redshirt-freshman, posting a 3.68 ERA and striking out 111 across just 73.1 innings, good for a 13.7 K/9. His four-pitch arsenal is nasty, featuring a 93-95 MPH 4-seam fastball, a devastating slider, a curveball, and a change-up. The Big 12 is a much stronger conference than the Big West, of which Long Beach State is a member, so Watts-Brown will face much tougher competition. But should he adjust well to it, he will run away with the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year award.

Big 12 Player of the Year: Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU

Brayden Taylor is one of the most exciting players in the NCAA and has put up monster numbers across his first two seasons at TCU. An expected 1st round pick in the 2023 MLB draft, the left-handed hitting 3rd baseman is far and away the best player in the Big 12 conference. He walks more than he strikes out and hits for power to all fields while playing solid defense at 3rd base. If he puts up numbers similar to his last couple of seasons in 2023, he will easily win the Big 12 Player of the Year award.

Big 12 Freshman of the Year: Jalin Flores, 3B, Texas

One of the top hitters in the 2023 freshman class, Flores should put up good numbers in his freshman year at Texas. Listed at 6’2” 185 pounds, he has a good approach at the plate and a good bat for his age. He struggles a bit on the defensive side of the ball, but that should get better as the season progresses. If he can adjust well to higher velocities and better stuff at the college level, Flores will be a frontrunner for the Big 12 Freshman of the Year award.

Big 12 Standings Predictions:

1. Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is a pretty safe pick to win the Big 12, although TCU and Texas Tech may have an outside chance. The Cowboys have most of their key offensive players from last season returning, with Marcus Brown and Roc Riggio manning the middle-infield once again and Zach Ehrhard returning as the centerfielder. Two-way player Nolan McLean could put up big numbers on both sides of the ball while Noah Schubart and Beau Sylvester, who should have everyday starting spots as freshmen, will round out the lineup to make it a formidable one against any pitcher.

The team’s pitching staff got a complete overhaul through the transfer portal and signing junior college recruits. Long Beach State transfer Juaron Watts-Brown headlines a rotation that has a lot of upside. Janzen Keisel, a BYU transfer, will be a great number 2 starter behind Watts-Brown. The back-end of the rotation and the bullpen are not completely organized yet, but no matter how the pitching staff is set, it should be strong enough to win the conference.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) * denotes 2024 class

RHP Juaron Watts-Brown (#22)

2B Roc Riggio (#30)

RHP/3B Nolan McLean (#50)

SS Marcus Brown (#81)

RHP/OF Carson Benge (#23*)

RHP Janzen Keisel (#34*)

CF Zach Ehrhard (#61*)

LHP Ryan Ure (#82*)

LHP Brennan Phillips (#123*)

2. TCU

TCU is riding a three-year streak of making the NCAA tournament and there is no reason to believe that streak will end in 2023. The Horned Frogs are bringing back most of their lineup from last season and it is strong from top to bottom with 3B Brayden Taylor, CF Elijah Nunez, and LF Luke Boyers leading the way. Sophomore 1B David Bishop had a good 2022 season but could ascend to another level in 2023. Additionally, West Virginia transfer RF Austin Davis and Baylor transfer 2B Tre Richardson will bolster the already dangerous Horned Frogs offense.

What will determine if TCU can compete for the conference title is pitching. There is no doubt that there is talent with RHPs Cam Brown and Ryan Vanderhei, a transfer from Kansas, headlining the weekend rotation, but in order to succeed, both will have to find consistency that they did not have in 2022. The third spot in the weekend rotation will be between junior RHP Luke Savage and freshman RHP Louis Rodriguez. If the pitching staff can find consistency, look for TCU to challenge Oklahoma State for the Big 12 conference title.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

3B Brayden Taylor (#8)

RHP Cam Brown (#52)

RHP Ryan Vanderhei (#71)

SS Anthony Silva (#71*)

CF Elijah Nunez

RF Austin Davis

3. Texas Tech

Texas Tech made the NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive season in 2022 and while their roster has taken a step back, there is no reason to believe that they won’t make it seven consecutive tournaments in 2023. The big issue for Texas Tech is the offense. Yes, there are several returning starters from last season, including DH Ty Coleman, C Hudson White, and RF Owen Washburn, but the rest of the lineup is lacking. Losing Jace Jung to the draft created a big void in the lineup that will be hard to fill, but the Red Raiders hope that freshman SS Tracer Lopez and transfers 2B Jake Dukart and 1B Gavin Kash can help out.

Where the Red Raiders really stand out is in the pitching department. They lost three starters that combined for 41 starts last season, but they revamped the pitching staff by bringing in impact transfers and getting key arms back from injury. Mason Molina and Brendan Girton, both of whom showed great stuff in 2022, will definitely be the Friday and Saturday starters respectively while the Sunday starter will likely be between Kyle Robinson, Trendon Parish, and Jack Washburn. If the lineup starts hitting, expect the Red Raiders to be in the mix for the conference title, but even if the hitting is subpar, they will still make the NCAA tournament in thanks to their great pitching staff.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

C Hudson White (#95*)

LHP Mason Molina (#112*)

RHP Kyle Robinson (#146*)

RHP Brendan Girton

DH Ty Coleman

4. Texas

Last season, Texas swept their Regional and won their Super Regional before losing in Omaha. The Longhorns are losing a lot of bats from last season, including three infielders and two outfielders. In total, the offensive players that Texas lost combined for 105 home runs last season which isn’t exactly easy to replace. Outfielder Dylan Campbell looks poised for a breakout season while freshmen Jalin Flores and Jared Thomas are very talented and should provide a lot of offense for the Longhorns, even if it doesn’t reach the levels it did last season.

Tanner Witt is one of the top draft prospects in baseball, but won’t pitch until later in the season due to injury. LHP sophomore Lucas Gordon will likely be the Friday starter, with some combination of Zane Morehouse, Lebarron Johnson, and USC transfer Charlie Hurley vying for the last two weekend spots. Overall, Texas is still a strong team. Expect them to once again make the NCAA tournament.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

RHP Tanner Witt (#13)

3B Jalin Flores (#27*)

1B Jared Thomas (#120*)

OF Dylan Campbell

5. Oklahoma

The Sooners had a Cinderella season in 2022, making it all the way to the College World Series finals in Omaha before getting swept by Ole Miss. It will be tough to even come close to that level success here in 2023, but Oklahoma will still be good enough to make the NCAA tournament. The big offensive piece is sophomore leadoff man John Spikerman, who had a .522 OBP (!!) and stole 12 bases in 35 games last season. Hitting behind him is another speedster in Kendall Pettis who, together with Spikerman, can quickly set the table for the rest of the lineup. Jackson Nicklaus put together a very nice 2022 season and can build off that to help an offense that lacks big power competitive.

The Sooners lost all three of their weekend starters and their closer from 2022, but they have several candidates to take over those roles. Right-hander Kale Davis, a transfer from Oklahoma State, will be the Friday night starter and Texas Tech transfer Jamie Hitt will likely be the Saturday starter. Juco transfer Will Carsten should get the nod to be the third weekend starter with transfers Gray Thomas and Braxton Douthit supporting the pitching staff in the bullpen. The success of the Sooners’ 2023 season relies heavily upon their pitching.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

RHP Kale Davis (#93)

CF/SS John Spikerman (#24*)

2B Jackson Nicklaus (#122*)

OF Kendall Pettis

6. West Virginia

West Virginia fell just short of making the NCAA tournament last season after getting swept in the Big 12 tournament, which resulted in their name not being called on Selection Monday. West Virginia has a solid lineup with some good offensive depth. Grant Hussey and JJ Wetherholt will lead the offense with help from transfers Landon Wallace and Caleb McNeely.

On the pitching side, the rotation is headlined by returning pitchers Ben Hampton and Carlson Reed. Aidan Major is due for a breakout as well after flashing potential in a small sample size in 2022. The Mountaineers are a wild card team in the Big 12 and if the offense and pitching play to their potential, they could be in the mix for a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

1B Grant Hussey (#79*)

RHP Aidan Major (#119*)

INF JJ Wetherholt (#121*)

7. Kansas State

Kansas State went 29-29 last season which was below expectations. Expect more of the same this season. The offense will be led by SS Nick Goodwin and 3B Kaelen Culpepper, both of whom had good-but-not-great seasons in 2022 and could break out in 2023. Cole Johnson and redshirt freshman Kyan Lodice will also play important roles in the offense.

Pitching is where the Wildcats struggled most last season, putting up a 5.84 team ERA and walking 280 batters, both worst in the conference. They lost their top three innings eaters, two to graduation and one to injury, so Kansas State will have to rely on senior Owen Boerema and sophomore Jackson Wentworth to headline the rotation. A successful season for the Wildcats would be playing around .500 ball and seeing some development in the young players.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

SS Nick Goodwin (#77)

RHP Jackson Wentworth (#69*)

3B Kaelen Culpepper (#129*)

OF/1B Cole Johnson

OF/1B Kyan Lodice

8. Kansas

Kansas had an abysmal season in 2022, going 20-35 enroute to an 8th consecutive season without making the NCAA tournament. Quite a few of the players on the 2023 roster are newcomers, whether that be through the transfer portal or through high school. The success of the Jayhawks’ offense, one that will feature transfers Cole Elvis, Collier Cranford, Janson Reeder, and Sam Hunt, will largely determine the results of the 2023 season.

Sam Ireland and Collin Baumgartner, both transfers, will headline the rotation with Ethan Bradford following them. It’s extremely unlikely that Kansas will become contenders for the conference, but with the influx of talent through the transfer portal, they could vastly improve upon their 2022 record this upcoming spring.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball) *denotes 2024 class

C Cole Elvis

OF Sam Hunt

INF Collier Cranford

OF Janson Reeder

RHP Sam Ireland

RHP Collin Baumgartner

9. Baylor

Following a 26-28 2022 season, Baylor did a complete overhaul of their coaching staff, bringing in former Kansas City Royals scout and former Baylor assistant coach Mitch Thompson to right the ship. Thompson will oversee a new era for the Bears as they try to get back to the NCAA tournament in future seasons. This season, however, will be all about creating a new foundation for the team. Baylor only has one returning offensive starter from last season, so much of their lineup will feature bench players from last season and transfers from other programs. Much of the offense is expected to come from the outfield, with Hunter Simmons, Gavin Brzozowski, and Casen Neumann all projected to play major roles in 2023.

Pitching is the strength of this Bears team. Baylor brings back RHP Blake Helton, who will definitely be one of the starters as well as two-way players Cam Caley and Kobe Andrade, both of whom will vie for spots in the rotation. Due to the huge overhaul from last season, it’s hard to see Baylor going much higher than last place in the conference, but if their offense takes some major strides forward, they could be a surprise in 2023.

Key Players: (Draft Ranking from D1 Baseball)*denotes 2024 class

OF Hunter Simmons

OF Gavin Brzozowski

OF Casen Neumann

RHP Blake Helton

LHP/LF Cam Caley