College Baseball: Big 12 Conference Preview

It’s going to be a weird year for Big 12 baseball since both Oklahoma and Texas have moved to the SEC. Both teams were top three in the conference last year. Oklahoma State was the conference tournament champion, but Oklahoma was the best regular-season team with Texas finishing third.

The conference still should have plenty of talent as it reloaded with three teams that performed well in the PAC12 last year: Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah. Arizona and Arizona State bring a rich history of baseball success to the conference. Arizona State has won five NCAA Championships and Arizona has won four. Arizona most recently won in 2012 as well. 

The conference still has the likes of Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, and West Virginia who have all had decent programs in the past.

Kansas State found themselves making a run through the Fayetteville Regional and going to the Charlottesville Super Regional last year before being bounced 2-0 by Virginia.

West Virginia made it out of the Tucson Regional (Arizona hosted) and eventually also lost 2-0 in the Chapel Hill Regional to North Carolina. Regardless, it was a strong showing for Big 12 teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Let’s dive into what we should expect from the Big 12 teams this year and who might come out on top. Breakdown of what’s covered:

• Teams Ranked in the Top 25
• 2024 Records   
• Preseason Award Winners
• Preseason All-Conference Team
• Projected Conference Champion
• Teams to Watch
• Top 2025 MLB Draft Prospects in the Big 12
• Other 2025 MLB Draft Prospects to Watch in the Big1 2 

Just Baseball Preseason Top 25 Teams

#18 – Arizona

#23 – Oklahoma State

2024 Records

* Indicates new to conference. The record reflects their previous conference.

Preseason Awards

Player of the Year: OF Brendan Summerhill – Arizona

Pitcher of the Year: LHP Ben Jacobs – Arizona State

Freshman of the Year: LHP/OF Noah Franco – TCU

Transfer of the Year: RHP Collin McKinney – Arizona

Preseason All-Conference Team

Projected Conference Champion

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Yes, Arizona is ranked higher in our preseason ranks, but I ultimately believe that the Cowboys will be the better team in the long run and end up on top of the Big 12 when all is said and done.

Although I do think it’ll be close with the Wildcats not far behind or even topping the Cowboys. They come in as our No. 23 overall team in our aggregate top 25 ranking.

The Cowboys are coming off a season where they finished 19-9 in conference and 42-19 overall.

The biggest strength for them going into this season will be the pop in their lineup. As you can see from our Big12 Preseason All-Conference Team, they have some insane thump in the likes of Ian Daugherty, Colin Bruggemann, and of course the star of the show Nolan Schubart. All of them hit double-digit home runs last year. 

Schubart is one of our Top 35 prospects in the 2025 MLB Draft and for good reason. He reached a max exit velo of 113.4 MPH and was in the 99th percentile in barrel percentage. Bruggemann will man first base and he hit double-digit doubles and home runs last year while driving in 50.

They also have senior Aidan Meloa who slashed .329/.416/.590 and drove in 47 runs himself. They’ve got a couple of freshmen looking to make an impact as well in shortstop Brock Thompson and right fielder Garrett Shull.

Shull was a top 150 prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft but made his way to campus. He’s power-over-hit at the dish, but peppers line drives from the right side of the batter’s box. Thompson wasn’t as highly sought after in the draft but has some raw tools and could be a fun development project. 

The biggest question marks for the Cowboys will be on the bump. They had to replace some of the best arms in college baseball last year consisting of Brian Holliday, Carson Benge, and Sam Garcia.

Gabe Davis is their highest-rated MLB Draft prospect, coming in at number 23 on our college list. He was electric this summer and showed some really good stuff for the USA Collegiate National Team. He’s a behemoth and physical presence on the mound coming in at 6’9, 217 pounds. He sits mid-90s consistently and has bumped 99 MPH at his peak.

A couple of transfers could make their way into the rotation as well, with Mario Pesca coming from St. John’s and Sean Youngermann coming from Westmont College. Pesca is the more intriguing of the two as he sits in the mid-90s and has solid secondaries.

Other options are freshman Ethan Lund and Hawaii transfer Harrison Bodendorf. Bodendorf has had some success as a starter during his time in Hawaii but did face some struggles this fall. Lund possesses the most upside and he is one to follow this season. The freshman has sat in the low 90s with his fastball and has a good feel for the strike zone. 

Teams to Watch

Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats had the best record overall of any of the newcomers and finished 20-10 in the PAC 12 conference. They are also our highest-ranked team in the Big 12 coming in at No. 18. They’ve had four straight regional appearances and recently went to the College World Series in 2021.

If any team is going to give Oklahoma State a run for their money for the Big 12 Conference Championship, it’s going to be Arizona. Like Oklahoma State, their strength also comes from their lineup. They’ve got two studs in outfielder Brendan Summerhill and shortstop Mason White, both who will likely be hearing their name called early in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Summerhill ranked much higher than White as he comes in as the number six overall college prospect on our Top 80 Board. He just flat-out rakes and slashed .324/.399/.550 with 32 extra-base hits in 58 games for the Wildcats last year. It’s a beautiful left-handed swing.

White possesses some solid power to all fields and can lift the ball at a consistent rate. He has a little bit of swing-and-miss, but the profile should play well for Arizona.

Outside of those two, they have a lot of experience returning on the right side of the infield in seniors Tommy Splaine at first base and Garen Caulfield at second base. They also brought in Aaron Walton from Samford who slashed .286/.396/.492 last year and provides them some speed and athleticism they might be able to use at the top of the lineup.

The Wildcats also follow the Cowboys in terms of having to replace a very solid rotation from last year. They hit the transfer portal hard bringing in the likes of Collin McKinney (Baylor), Christian Coppola (Rutgers), Michael Hilker (Wisconsin-Whitewater), Jack Berg (Tacoma CC), and Karter Muck (Central Arizona).

McKinney, Coppola, Hilker, and Berg might all be competing for rotation spots. McKinney seems to be in line to start as the Friday night guy as he has a solid pitch mix and has seen his fastball in the mid-90s. They also brought some very exciting freshmen to campus in Smith Bailey and Mason Russell. Both of which could also be competing for a rotation spot.

Russell was considered a top 100 overall prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft and his metrics, projection, and delivery made him highly coveted. Bailey has tons of projection and it’s an easy delivery. He has been in the low 90s and there could be more in the tank. While the rotation is in question, there is a lot to like with the arms they have and it’s easy to see why they’ll make noise. 

Arizona State Sun Devils

As a former Sun Devil myself, I’ve been waiting to see ASU back in a place where they are a powerhouse in college baseball. Their last Regional appearance was in 2021 and their last Super Regional was in 2011.

That said, the Sun Devils do bring a ton of talent to the field this year with three guys in our Top 80 College Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft. Let’s start with the lineup.

This is another team loaded with thump, led by junior Brandon Compton. He’s the highest-ranked bat for the Sun Devils and he’s got tons of power as he dropped 14 home runs last year.

They’ve also got a toolsy Isaiah Jackson in centerfield who has tools for days and tons of upside. Let’s not forget Kien Vu either who put up some video game-type numbers slashing .413/.497/.793 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs, and 56 RBI while stealing 12 bags.

The lineup is chock full of experience and easily the strength for the Sun Devils. Nu’u Contrades should also be back and healthy giving this lineup an extra jolt. 

Things are a bit murkier on the mound but their star power comes from their Friday night ace Ben Jacobs. The lefty is the 31st overall prospect on our Top 80 list and he struck out 102 batters over 66.1 innings last year! He missed bats at a 33% clips. Just electric stuff from him.

They’ve got a lot of depth and options but will need some guys to step up. Jack Martinez comes over from Louisiana-Lafayette where he posted a 4.40 ERA and struck out 50 batters over 45 innings.

Two freshmen Easton Barrett and Landon Harison could also be interesting options for the Sun Devils as well.

Overall, the Sun Devils seem to have a strong team going into their first year and should be a team to watch as they could play well enough to get themselves into a Regional if the pitching works itself out. 

TCU Horned Frogs

If it’s not Oklahoma State or Arizona, TCU is likely the team contending for the Big 12 Conference Championship. This is a team that is pretty good across the board. Nothing super flashy, but just rock solid up and down. They barely missed our top 25 teams.

They have one of the top-tier coaching staffs in the country and brought in Bill Mosiello to be the Associate Head Coach replacing TJ Bruce who went on to be the Head Coach at Long Beach State. Mosiello was the Head Coach at Ohio State. Let’s start with the rotation.

Despite losing their Friday guy Payton Tolle in the 2024 MLB Draft, they’ve compiled a decent rotation. Kole Klecker is the guy to watch. He had a pretty down year last year but was much better his freshman year. Ben Abeldt, a top guy for the 2025 MLB Draft, was one of the top relievers last year and might make his way into the rotation.

He’s got a ton of funk in his delivery and he posted a 1.83 ERA while striking out 54 batters in 44.1 innings. There are others eyeing rotation spots including Caedmon Parker and two newcomers in freshman Trever Baumler and Witchita State transfer Tommy LaPour.

Baumler has a ton of upside and was a prospect for last year’s draft as well. The brother of Orioles prospect Carter Baumler has a fastball that is 92-95 MPH, a curveball with some big depth, and a fading changeup. 

In the lineup, there isn’t a ton of pop but there are a lot of guys who can hit. Anthony Silva‘s return is huge for the Horned Frogs.

While the bat wasn’t overly sexy last year, he’s one of the better defensive shortstops in all of baseball and has very good bat-to-ball skills. The hope is he can get into some more pop and drive in some more runs like his freshman year.

Catcher Karson Bowen is another guy like Silva that TCU hopes can bounce back. They’ve got quite a few transfers looking to be impact bats in the lineup as well, including first baseman Cole Cramer from Washington State, second baseman Jack Bell from Texas A&M, and utility player Isaac Cadena from Ohio State.

TCU is one of those safe floor teams with not a ton of upside, but if any of the upside hits, they could be a force. They could easily make their way into the backend of our Top 25 early on if they get off to a hot start. 

Kansas Jayhawks

I struggled to choose between which team to talk about last between Kansas and Texas Tech, but ultimately went with the Jayhawks. Kansas finished dead even in conference going 15-15 and finished with an overall record of 31-23.

The big key for them is having the potential Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Dominic Voegele. The sophomore is coming off a year he went 7-2 with a 3.89 ERA while striking out 80 batters in 81 innings. Voegele was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year thanks to that performance. He’s an absolute beast on the mound and has some very good stuff to back it as well as a ton of pitchability.

Cooper Moore is expected to be the Saturday guy and he has as solid, well-rounded arsenal giving him a pretty good floor. They have quite a few transfers who could round out the rotation like Kannon Carr and Manning West. 

For their lineup, they faced an offseason challenge after losing their top six hitters and several key reserves from the 2024 lineup to graduations, the draft, and free agent signings.

However, the return of third baseman Michael Brooks, who missed part of last season with a broken hand and subsequently fell off draft boards, provides a major boost. Brooks, who slashed .331/.425/.612 with 22 extra-base hits in 37 games, brings consistency on both sides of the ball and remains one of the team’s most reliable defenders at third base.

Alongside Brooks, returning players like Chase Diggins, Ty Wisdom, and Mike Koszewski add versatility across the infield and outfield, while a deep group of transfers, including Sawyer Smith, Brady Counsell, and Derek Cerda, elevate the roster’s overall talent. The Jayhawks are just a fun and intriguing team that might get slept on by many. 

West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers were a strong team in the conference last year finishing 19-11 and 36-24 overall. They ended up making a Super Regional and losing to North Carolina in heartbreaking fashioned in their retiring Head Coach’s final season.

While they did lose key pieces like JJ Wetherholt who was a first-rounder in the 2024 MLB Draft, there is a lot to like with this team. Junior catcher Logan Sauve is the guy to watch. Last year he slashed .308/.379/.484 with 37 RBI. He’s a stalwart behind the plate and brings a ton of leadership traits into the clubhouse as well. Just an overall guy you want to build your lineup around.

They’ve got tons of pop that’ll come from guys like first baseman Grant Hussey as well. He hit 12 jacks and drove in 37 runs last year.

Meanwhile, Sam White is also a veteran leader who slashed .305/.406/.498 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 42 RBI. Lastly, USC Upstate transfer Jace Rinehart comes to West Virginia after an insane career where he slashed .366/.412/.673 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI. He’s got the potential to be a big masher for the Mountaineers. 

On the mound, the Mountaineers have some fire-breathing dragons in terms of stuff. Let’s start with Chase Meyer. While he didn’t have the best numbers last year, he’s got a 94-96 MPH fastball and he has been in the upper 90s as well. He’s coming off a very successful summer in the Cape Cod League where he honed in some of his command issues.

Another flame thrower is Bryant Yoak. He was up to 96 at one point this fall and will likely be a power arm in the bullpen for the Mountainers. Carson Estridge is a guy who has likely made a case to be in the rotation and could be the Saturday guy for them.

Finally, Robby Porco also topped out at 95 MPH this fall and has a solid slider and changeup. There are plenty of other names I still haven’t mentioned, but the moral of the story is West Virginia has plenty of guys with “stuff”. It’ll just be whether or not they can hone it all in and take that next step. 

Top 2025 MLB Draft Prospects

Ranking is Based on Placement in our 2025 MLB Draft Top 80 College Prospects List

Other MLB Draft Prospects to Watch