Big 12 Baseball: New Blood
The conference has been reshaped by expansion. Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, UCF, and Utah arrived — bringing new recruiting pipelines, regional baseball cultures, and a depth the Big 12 has never had. 14 programs. 5 projected Dark Horse or better. TCU anchors the top. Kansas is the breakout. The bottom half is rebuilding, but nobody is standing still.
The Conference, Transformed
Two years ago, the Big 12 was a six-team baseball conference trying to justify its Power Five status on the diamond. Texas and Oklahoma had left. TCU carried the flag. The league was thin and everyone knew it. That version of the Big 12 is gone. The conference that takes the field in 2026 has 14 programs, a coast-to-coast recruiting footprint, and a middle class that didn't exist before expansion.
TCU remains the anchor — 44 wins, a pitching-first identity, and a head coach in Kirk Saarloos who has turned Fort Worth into one of the best development programs in the country. But the gap between TCU and the next tier has narrowed. Kansas posted 42 wins and a super regional appearance in 2025. Oklahoma State returns a loaded lineup. Arizona and Arizona State bring Pac-12 pedigree, Southern California recruiting ties, and the kind of athlete depth that changes how the league scouts itself.
The bottom half — Texas Tech, Cincinnati, BYU, Kansas State, Utah — is in various stages of rebuilding. But "rebuilding" in the new Big 12 means something different than it did in the old one. These programs have Power Five resources, conference revenue, and a path to the NCAA Tournament that runs through a conference tournament anyone can win. The floor is rising. The ceiling hasn't been tested yet.
All 14 Team Previews
Sorted by projection tier — full scouting breakdowns for every program
Key Storylines
TCU: Still the Big 12's Best
The Horned Frogs went 44-20 in 2025 and return the deepest pitching staff in the conference. Kirk Saarloos has built something sustainable in Fort Worth — a program that recruits nationally, develops arms through the system, and plays its best baseball in May. TCU is the measuring stick for every other Big 12 program, and nobody has cleared it yet.
Kansas's Breakout
A 42-18 season was no fluke. Dan Fitzgerald has transformed Lawrence into a legitimate baseball destination, landing top-tier in-state talent that used to leave for the SEC and bringing in impact transfers. The Jayhawks hit for average and situational power, and their bullpen depth kept them in games all spring. 2026 is the year they prove the breakout has staying power.
Desert Baseball Arrives
Arizona and Arizona State bring a different brand of baseball to the Big 12 — programs raised on Pac-12 competition, desert heat, and a recruiting pipeline that runs through Southern California. The Wildcats and Sun Devils combine for 71 wins in 2025 and carry the kind of athlete depth that Big 12 pitchers haven't regularly faced. The scouting reports are about to get longer.
The Rebuilding Class
Texas Tech, Cincinnati, BYU, Kansas State, and Utah sit in rebuilding tiers — but "rebuilding" in the new Big 12 doesn't mean irrelevant. Tech has the facilities and brand to reload fast. Cincinnati is learning Power Five baseball in real time. BYU and K-State are one recruiting cycle from flipping. And Utah is investing at levels the old Mountain West never required. The floor is rising across the board.
Data: ESPN / SportsDataIO / D1Baseball — February 2026