It has been two weeks since I updated this chart so a lot of action.
Texas A&M makes a big move and now leads the conference both in winning percentage and in RPI ranking. The Aggies moved from 22 all the way down to 6! A&M also became the first NCAA team to read the magic number of 40 wins, generally considered to be a mark of a great season. Nebraska comes in right behind A&M at #7. The Huskers moved up eight slots. Oklahoma State falls from #6 to #13, and into third place in the conference rankings. The Cowboys only lost one game during the last two weeks but it was against Utah Valley State (#243). Just playing teams ranked as low at UVS hurts a team's RPI, loosing to them comes with an even harsher penalty.
Right now A&M and Nebraska look like they might be awarded Regional Host status by the NCAA. The UVS loss by Oklahoma State might take the Cowboys out of the running or one of these rare honors. The NCAA names eight Regional Hosts each year - giving these teams the honor and advantage of playing at home for the first two rounds of the 64 team tournament. The eight teams that emerge from these sites travel to Omaha to compete in the College World Series.
Texas seems to have found some stability these last two weeks, winning back to back conference series. The last time I updated this chart the Longhorns looked to be slipping into "bubble" status. Now they look pretty well like a lock for an at-large invite. Baylor holds steady. The Bears are on the bubble and will need a strong finish. Missouri continues to slide. Even though the Tigers are ranked below Baylor I think they are in a better position to win a tournament invite due to their better conference record and high profile pitching staff. Boyd's World agrees with this assesment. According to Boyd's latest "RPI needs" list Missouri can go 5-3 in thier last eight games and still make the cut. Baylor must win five of their remaining six for the same result.
Kansas State makes a very strong move, moving up fifteen notches to #56. The Wildcats have no chance at earning an at-large, but the way they have been playing they will have to be taken seriously in the post-season Big-12 championship tournament in Oklahoma City. Kansas makes the most impressive move in the rankings, jumping 29 spots up to #93. This is the first time KU has broke into the top-100 all season. Kansas has won four consecutive games vs. Big-12 opponents.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma hold steady. The Red Raiders will need to play their best baseball of the season just to fight their way back into the top-8 of the conference and be given an opportunity to play in the Big-12 tournament.
| RPI ranking |
Team | NCAA D-I record |
Big-12 record |
Two weeks ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Texas A&M | 40-8 | 18-3 | 22 |
| 8 | Nebraska | 35-8-1 | 15-5-1 | 15 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | 33-12 | 14-7 | 6 |
| 32 | Texas | 29-19 | 12-12 | 37 |
| 44 | Baylor | 27-22 | 9-12 | 47 |
| 48 | Missouri | 29-16 | 11-10 | 41 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | 28-19-1 | 6-14-1 | 48 |
| 56 | Kansas State | 22-25 | 7-14 | 73 |
| 84 | Texas Tech | 21-25 | 5-13 | 83 |
| 93 | Kansas | 25-22 | 8-13 | 122 |
Tracking KU's out of conference opponents - Wins over LeMoyne (151), Dartmouth (155), Xavier (166), Iowa (180), Northwestern (205), CCSU (231), UMBC (238), two over Missouri State (68) and Chicago State (291) each, plus three over NDSU (254). Loses to Vanderbilt (25), Arkansas (26), Wichita State (27), Illinois (110) and Ohio State (129). Lost a series 3-2 at Hawaii-Hilo (249).