Keys for Cowboys, Sooners to make a Big 12 tourney run
The Big 12 baseball tournament kicks off with some Bedlam flair Wednesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Second-seeded Oklahoma State (3716) and seventh-seeded Oklahoma (3024) in the third of four first-round games, set for 4 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN+.
Fresh off the regular-season Bedlam series — in which OSU took two of three games, and three of four in the season series overall — the rivals are quite familiar with each other at the moment.
To preview the event, The Oklahoman’s Justin Martinez and Scott Wright will take a look at some key questions looming over the Cowboys and Sooners as they open play in the double-elimination tournament:
What is each team’s key to a win in the opening-round Bedlam matchup?
Wright: For the Cowboys, just keep doing what they've been doing. Though they got shut out last Friday, the Pokes scored in double-digits in the other three meetings with OU. Knowing the importance of winning the first game, OSU needs to be ready to see the Sooners' best arms, so they'll need to counter with another strong offensive performance.
OSU has scored at least seven runs in all but two of its last 17 games. Keep that trend going and it could be a fun week in Arlington.
Martinez: The Sooners' bullpen needs to deliver on Wednesday. OU earned its lone regular-season win over OSU because Braden Carmichael pitched a shutout, but that's an outlier. The Cowboys won the other three meetings by an average of nearly 11 runs, and the Sooners rolled out an average of nearly seven pitchers per contest.
If OU is going to defeat OSU and its high-powered offense, its relief pitchers must do a good job of stopping the
bleeding.
Where does OU, OSU need to show signs of improvement to make a strong run in Arlington?
Wright: For OSU, it's pitching depth. To win the tournament, it takes a minimum of four games, and potentially as many as six, in five days. That means the Cowboys will need some starters to eat up innings. Coach Josh Holliday rolled out reliever Nolan McLean in a starting role last week, and that should help boost the rotation.
Even with that, relievers will be asked to work multiple games, sometimes back-to-back days. In conference play, OSU had just three pitchers who threw more than 10 innings with an earned-run average below 5.00, so the spotlight will be on the pitching staff this week.
Martinez: Pitching depth is the biggest key for OU as well, but I'll also point to those who aren't at the top of the batting order. The Sooners haven't gotten much production at the plate from sophomores John Spikerman and Jackson Nicklaus, who were both All-Big 12 preseason selections.
Spikerman is down from a .317 batting average last season to .254 this season, while Nicklaus is down from .288 to .230. If OU can get some more production at the plate from the two sophomores in Arlington, they'll be in much better shape.
Where does each team stand in terms of the NCAA Tournament?
Wright: The Cowboys seem to be a bit of a top-16 bubble team fighting to host a regional. They definitely don't have anything guaranteed, so a quick exit would put them in a precarious situation. But a couple of wins could put them in the mix for a 12 or 13 seed.
The Pokes are the top Big 12 team in the RPI at No. 20, just ahead of West Virginia and Texas. They've put together a good body of work, but adding to it remains necessary for them to bring a regional to O'Brate Stadium.
Martinez: The Sooners are on a different bubble. OU is No. 36 in the RPI, and it's projected by D1Baseball to be the second-to-last team to make the cut for the Field of 64.
That leaves the Sooners susceptible to bid stealers who win their respective conference tournaments, which isn't an ideal spot to be in. OU needs to win a game in the Big 12 Tournament to feel good about its postseason chances.