The college baseball season is right around the corner, and after failing to get a team to Omaha in 2024, the Big 12 Conference is hoping to get back to the College World Series in 2025.
With that said, it looks like the league might need some unexpected contenders to rise as the season progresses. On Monday, Baseball America released its Preseason Top 25 rankings for the upcoming year, and just two Big 12 teams were on the list.
Oklahoma State checks in at No. 13 after being selected as the favorite to win the Big 12 last week, earning nine of a possible 13 first-place votes. The Cowboys are led by Preseason First-Team All-American Nolan Schubert, who was also named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.
Arizona is the other Big 12 team named to Baseball America’s Top 25, coming in at No. 22 after a 36-23 campaign in 2024. The Wildcats went 0-2 in Regional Play last year, but did ent the season as the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament Champions.
Texas A&M comes in as the No. 1 team in the country, followed by three consecutive SEC teams in LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas.
Virginia and Florida State break up the SEC streak at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, while Georgia (No. 11), Texas (No. 14), Vanderbilt (No. 15), Mississippi State (No. 18), and Kentucky (No. 20) give the Southeastern Conference a total of 10 ranked teams, the most of any conference.