Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma baseball: Bedlam series carries over to Big 12 Tournament

By Chip Rouse

Sep 9, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays and fans observe a moment of silence before the game at the Globe Life Field in honor of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays and fans observe a moment of silence before the game at the Globe Life Field in honor of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 7-seeded Oklahoma baseball (30-24, 11-13) gets a rematch with No. 2-seeded Oklahoma State in the opening round of the Big 12 Baseball Tournament.

The Cowboys ((37-16, 15-9) have taken three of four meetings against the Sooners this season, including two of three in the series in Norman last weekend.

The two in-state rivals will play in Game 3 of the opening round, set for a first pitch at 4 p.m. CT at Globe Life Field (home of the MLB Texas Rangers) in Arlington, Texas.

Because the Big 12 Championship is a double-elimination tournament, Wednesday afternoon’s game is not an elimination game for the Sooners, but it could well be for their NCAA postseason chances if they don’t win at least one game in the conference tournament. Win or lose in the opening round against OSU, the second-round opponent will be either Texas Tech or West Virginia.

What OU can least afford to do is lose two games in a row n in the Big 12 Tournament. That could be the final nail in their postseason chances.

The Sooners lost two of three to Texas Tech this season and by the same count later to then No. 1 West Virginia.

Although this season has not been as successful as a year ago, when the Sooners swept through the conference tournament to capture their third tournament championship and followed that up with a runner-up finish in the College World Series, OU still produced a winning overall record and some notable resume builders. Despite this, Oklahoma is considered to be on the bubble for an NCAA appearance, which is why the Big 12 Tournament holds a lot in the balance for the Sooners.

Oklahoma goes into the conference tournament with an RPI ranking of 38, largely based on the fact that the Sooners have played the 13th most difficult overall schedule this season, but a seventh-place finish in the Big 12 standings. Five Big 12 teams have a better RPI than the Sooners entering the conference tournament.

The best bet as of today is that five and possibly six Big 12 teams will earn bids to the 2023 NCAA Baseball Championship, which begins next week. West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma State, TCU and Kansas State are considered to be in the 64-team field with Texas Tech and Oklahoma on the bubble.

Here’s the case for Oklahoma getting in:

  • The Sooners have a better RPI than Kansas State (53) and is just one spot behind TCU (37). OU won two of three from TCU this season but was swept in three games against Kansas State.
  • Oklahoma has eight top-25 RPI wins (8-8) and 12 top-50 (12-11) wins and owns the sixth-most top-25 wins nationally. The Sooners 12-11 record against teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI is tied with Texas and Oklahoma State for best in the Big 12.
  • The Sooners also have 17 top-100 victories this season, third best in the Big 12.

All of this will be meaningless, however, if Oklahoma falls on its face and is eliminated in two games in the Big 12 Tournament.

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