West Virginia getting healthy, hitting stride | Big 12 baseball power rankings

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Five weeks into the Big 12 baseball conference schedule, the race for first place is no better defined than in mid-February.

Oklahoma and West Virginia sit at the top with 8-4 conference records. Right behind those two are Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Cincinnati — the Bearcats, not the Reds — with 7-5 conference marks.

Hard to pick a favorite. Easier to deduce which teams are happiest with their current positions. New Big 12 member Cincinnati, picked to tie for last in the coaches' preseason poll, is a game out of first after sweeping preseason favorite TCU over the weekend.

Put Cincinnati's Jordan Bischel on the list of Big 12 coach of the year candidates. Put Bischel up there with UCF's Rich Wallace, whose team has won four conference series in a row, Kansas State the Knights' latest victim.

No team's fortunes have turned for the better lately, though, than West Virginia, which shares the conference lead after a sweep at Kansas. All-America middle infielder J.J. Wetherholt (hamstring) and catcher Logan Sauve (knee) have returned from 26- and 14-game absences, respectively, and lefty pitcher Derek Clark has lowered his earned-run average to 1.70 while going nine innings in each of his past three Big 12 starts.

WVU's Randy Mazey, the Big 12 coach of the year in 2023 when his team shared the conference title, is planning to retire at the end of this season. The Mountaineers might make it a sendoff to remember.

Hear are this week's power rankings. All records and rankings in the USA TODAY Top 25 coaches poll are as of Monday.

1. Oklahoma State (21-11, 7-5)

Last week: 3

What to know: No. 25 Oklahoma State took two of three from Oklahoma in last weekend's Bedlam games. Under Josh Holliday, the Cowboys are 36-13 against the Sooners, winning nine of 11 conference series.

Related: How did Oklahoma State baseball rally past OU to win Bedlam? Meet Donovan LaSalle

Related: How clutch hitting after intentional walks carried Oklahoma State past OU in Bedlam opener

2. West Virginia (19-12, 8-4)

Last week: 8

What to know: Aidan Major and Derek Clark give the Mountaineers an asset so many Big 12 teams are lacking: a strong one-two in the starting rotation.

West Virginia all-American J.J. Wetherholt is back after an injury-related 26-game absence, and the Mountaineers moved into a tie for first place in the Big 12 on Sunday by completing a series sweep at Kansas.
West Virginia all-American J.J. Wetherholt is back after an injury-related 26-game absence, and the Mountaineers moved into a tie for first place in the Big 12 on Sunday by completing a series sweep at Kansas.

3. Oklahoma (17-14, 8-4)

Last week: 2

What to know: Since those attention-getting sweeps of UCF and TCU to open Big 12 play, the Sooners are 4-8 with series losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

Related: OU baseball evens Bedlam series, winning home run derby against Oklahoma State

4. Central Florida (21-8, 8-7)

Last week: 4

What to know: Oklahoma swept UCF in the Knights' intro to the Big 12. Since then, the 19th-ranked Knights have just been clipping along taking two of three from everybody.

5. Texas (19-13, 7-5)

Last week: 1

What to know: Texas had won six straight Big 12 regular-season series. Take a bow if you predicted Brigham Young snapping that streak in Austin.

6. Kansas State (20-10, 7-5)

Last week: 5

What to know: Wildcats rank among the leaders in NCAA Division I in walks (191) and stolen bases (77). Alas, they've been held to four or fewer runs in their past four conference games, losing three.

7. Texas Tech (24-9, 8-7)

Last week: 7

What to know: Series sweeps against Stanford and Houston put Texas Tech on a six-game win streak. Now comes a challenging stretch of series at TCU and No. 1 Arkansas and at home versus West Virginia.

8. Cincinnati (19-13, 7-5)

Last week: 12

What to know: The Bearcats can swing the bats with anybody. In their first Big 12 series sweep, the pitchers shined in 4-2, 6-2 and 13-2 wins over TCU.

9. Kansas (15-14, 7-8)

Last week: 6

What to know: Two weekends ago at BYU, Kansas swept a three-game road series from a Big 12 opponent for the first time since 2014. Then the Jayhawks get swept at home by West Virginia.

10. TCU (20-11, 5-10)

Last week: 9

What to know: The Horned Frogs keep getting poll support and keep losing — four of their five Big 12 series, to be exact.

11. Brigham Young (13-15, 6-9)

Last week: 13

What to know: In the Cougars' series win at Texas, catcher Collin Reuter homered four times — three in the finale — and Stone Cushing picked up his sixth and seventh saves, tied for the Big 12 lead.

12. Houston (16-15, 4-11)

Last week: 10

What to know: Texas Tech extended Houston's conference losing streak to 11 games. Equally concerning, Jaxon Jelkin, who's not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his seven starts, didn't pitch in Lubbock.

13. Baylor (13-18, 5-7)

Last week: 11

What to know: Baylor's won four straight home series for the first time since 2015. The Bears did it against Oral Roberts, Texas Tech, Cincinnati and Incarnate Word.

Oklahoma State pitcher Tommy Molsky (30) celebrates the last out of the Cowboys' 9-6 home victory Friday against Oklahoma. The Cowboys took two of three in the series at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State pitcher Tommy Molsky (30) celebrates the last out of the Cowboys' 9-6 home victory Friday against Oklahoma. The Cowboys took two of three in the series at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: WVU healing up, making jump | Big 12 baseball power rankings

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