The 2025 college baseball season is a couple weeks into the swing of things, and team trends have begun to emerge. Preseason expectations are melting away in the face of reality, and the Big 12 hierarchy has shifted dramatically. With that said, here are this week's power rankings.
#1: TCU Horned Frogs (5-2)
Let's start with the only Big 12 team to make it into the Top 25 heading into this week, as TCU came in at 25th. The Horned Frogs entered the year with lofty expectations, picked to finish third in the conference, but they've had a rough schedule to start.
They started out 5-0, including a sweep in their four-game series with UC San Diego, but dropped two in a row over the weekend. One of those was to Arkansas, who just came in at fourth in the Top 25, and the other was to Kansas State, who are the only team to date to beat the Razorbacks. TCU has slipped a bit, but not enough just yet to relinquish their pole position in the Big 12.
#2: Kansas Jayhawks (7-0)
Currently sitting in first place in the conference and one of two Big 12 teams to remain undefeated, Kansas has jumped out to a fast start. Of course, the Jayhawks haven't been facing the toughest opponents so far, sweeping series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tarleton State.
Still, Kansas remains undefeated seven games in, which is impressive. They've done it with a string of strong performances on the mound, as the Jayhawks' team ERA of 2.90 ranks 36th in the nation. They have a fairly manageable non-conference schedule, so don't be surprised if Kansas walks into Big 12 play with a full head of steam.
#3: West Virginia Mountaineers (6-0)
Next up is the only other Big 12 team to still be undefeated, as West Virginia remains perfect with one fewer game played than the Jayhawks. The Mountaineers came into the year with real promise, picked to finish fourth and standing out as the highest-picked team not to receive a first place vote from Big 12 media members.
Thus far, they've lived up to the hype. Like Kansas, they have yet to face any true tests so far, sweeping Jacksonville and already clinching a series win over Lipscomb, going for the sweep today. West Virginia has been one of the nation's best early on from the mound, placing 14th in the country in team ERA.
#4: Arizona State Sun Devils (6-1)
There's a legitimate case to be made that the Sun Devils have the strongest resume in the Big 12 so far. Their offense remains potent, averaging 9.5 runs a game and ranking inside the top 50 in OPS, while the pitching staff is rounding into form after some hiccups early on.
Arizona State also just won their series against Oral Roberts, a team that's reached the regionals three straight years and made it to the College World Series in 2023. After losing on a blown save in the first game of the series, the Sun Devils outscored the Golden Eagles 22-7 in the next two games for a dominant win. It's still a bit early to place them higher than fourth, but keep an eye on Arizona State.
#5: Baylor Bears (6-1)
Like the team that came before them, Baylor has an argument as the best team in the conference early on. They jumped out to a 6-0 start, including a sweep of Youngstown State that saw a game decided in seven innings, before dropping their final game of a three-game series against Gonzaga.
However, that loss came in extra innings, losing 8-7, so it's hard to crucify the Bears for that. Early on, though, Baylor has looked like a complete team. Their team batting average (.340) ranks 18th in the nation while their team ERA (2.47) is 20th in the nation. They're the only Big 12 team to place inside the top 20 in both metrics, a strong indicator of how good this Bears team, picked to finish second to last, might be.
#6: Utah Utes (6-1)
The Utes didn't have many believers to start the season, as Big 12 media members picked them to finish 12th out of 14 teams. However, Utah has jumped out to a strong start, currently tied for third in the conference.
They've been touring through California, with stops in Malibu and San Diego and preparing for Riverside, and the beach life clearly agrees with Utah. They swept Pepperdine in four games, blanked San Diego State, and crushed Seattle before dropping their first game of the year to UC San Diego. The Utes are in California until conference play starts, and they could keep rolling until then.
#7: UCF Knights (6-1)
If you're looking for a dark horse in the Big 12, it may just be the Knights. UCF won their first six games, sweeping Siena and crushing Missouri in a solo contest. They then flew through the first two legs of a three-game series against Bryant before dropping Game 3, though it was largely a result of their bats going silent after a hot start.
UCF stands out as the best pitching team in the Big 12, with a 2.00 ERA that ranks 11th in the nation. Their offense has been inconsistent, topping double digit runs in each of their first three games but settling down after that. Still, they're 43rd in OPS, a solid spot to be. If the Knights can find their groove at the plate, they can really contend in the Big 12.
#8: Kansas State Wildcats (4-4)
It's hard to know what to make of this Kansas State team right now. The metrics aren't very kind to them on offense or defense, yet they already have two signature wins on the year. They're the only team so far to beat Arkansas, and they're one of two teams to beat TCU, the other being those same Razorbacks.
Yet the Wildcats also dropped their first two games of the season, getting blown out by both Washington and Coastal Carolina, before losing again to the Chanticleers a week later and also falling to North Carolina. Kansas State seems to be a team still figuring themselves out, but we know they're at least capable of upsetting anyone.
#9: Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-3)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Oklahoma State entered the year with sky high expectations, picked to win the Big 12 and coming in at 17th in the preseason Top 25. Yet here they sit after two weeks at 2-3, second from the bottom in the conference.
In fairness, the Cowboys started off with a tough schedule. They dropped the opener to Clemson and later lost to Texas, two heavyweights. But Oklahoma State followed that up with a loss to Texas State, one they had no excuse losing. They bounced back against UT Arlington with a decisive 19-4 win, but the road gets tougher from here, with stops against Tennessee and Texas A&M this week.
#10: Houston Cougars (4-2)
The Cougars did not come into this year with high expectations, and thus far they've lived up to that. They won their opening series against Minnesota, two games to one, but had the next two games - contests with Texas and Oregon State - canceled due to weather.
They just won their series over Cal, also two games to one, to start out at an impressive 4-2. Still, Houston hasn't looked particularly great in any one facet over those six games, playing very inconsistent ball from one day to the next.
#11: Cincinnati Bearcats (4-2)
Sitting with the same record as Houston, Cincinnati has had a similar start to the year as well. The Bearcats aren't expected to be heavyweights in the Big 12 this year, but they've won more than they've lost thus far. They beat Duke in two of three games, with the lone loss coming in extra innings.
The Bearcats are currently up 2-1 in their four-game series against UNLV, with the deciding game being played today. They have a pretty winnable non-conference schedule the rest of the way from here, so Cincinnati should be able to stack some wins before facing off against some tougher opponents.
#12: Arizona Wildcats (4-3)
Similar to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats of Arizona were expected to be major contenders in the Big 12 this year. Media members picked them to finish second, and they were the only team other than the Cowboys to receive multiple first place votes.
However, Arizona has stumbled out of the gate. They lost each of their first three games, all solo contests against Ole Miss, Clemson, and Louisville, before rattling off four straight wins over the likes of New Mexico and UC San Diego. Their 0-3 stretch against some really good teams has shaken the belief that these Wildcats can reach Omaha, and there are more tests coming up fast with a three-game stretch this week against Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
#13: BYU Cougars (4-4)
No team had more doubters coming into the year than BYU, who was picked to finish dead last in the Big 12. And so far, they've validated every media member who considered them to be the conference's worst, sleepwalking to a 4-4 start.
The Cougars split their opening four-game series against Fresno State, got blown out by UCLA 15-4, and then managed to win a series over CSUN but dropped a game there. BYU has looked wholly unimpressive thus far, and conference play looms large for them.
#14: Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-5)
The one saving grace for BYU right now is that they're not Texas Tech, who may very well be the worst team in baseball right now. The Red Raiders came into the year with reasonably high expectations, picked to finish fifth in the Big 12, but right now they're dead last in the conference with just one win to their name.
That lone victory came against UC Irvine, sandwiched between two losses in that three-game series. Prior to that, they were swept by North Carolina. If there's one glimmer of hope for Texas Tech, it's that every game has been close: their last three losses have been decided by a combined five runs. But the Red Raiders need to turn things around fast.