KillerFrogs writers Carson Wersal and JD Andress give a preview of the Big 12 conference with baseball season starting in just two weeks.
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00:00 All right.
00:06 Hello.
00:07 Welcome into the Killer Frogs bullpen.
00:08 Our website's baseball podcast.
00:10 We will be discussing mainly TCU, but also all things at conference as well.
00:15 I'm joined by Carson Wursel.
00:17 My name is JD Andrus.
00:19 And Carson, today is our first episode.
00:24 You know, we're just going to talk a little bit of a broad spectrum of Big 12 as a whole
00:27 today.
00:28 We're not focusing on TCU or any other specific teams.
00:31 All right.
00:32 Let's, you know, give me your thoughts on the Big 12 as a whole this year.
00:38 So as a whole, I kind of view it very top heavy, especially with the newer teams that
00:46 are coming into the conference.
00:47 Not that they are not competitive, but they're just, I feel like there are a few steps behind
00:54 some of the teams that we already have in the Big 12, namely TCU, OSU, Texas Tech, and
01:00 Texas, kind of the four teams that are always competitive.
01:05 And then you've got K-State and West Virginia that can kind of get hot at the right time
01:10 and switch things up.
01:11 But it's mainly those four teams every year.
01:15 Yeah, I think that's been a general theme of the Big 12 and baseball play for a while
01:20 now.
01:21 At least five plus years is very top heavy conference.
01:23 There's not much depth between it.
01:25 I mean, it's kind of also one of those things where you have a program in the conference
01:28 that doesn't even participate in baseball with Iowa State.
01:32 It just is one of the Title IX things that they have.
01:34 They don't even have a team.
01:36 But let's jump straight into it.
01:39 Who do you have winning the conference, Carson?
01:43 Winning the conference, it's going to seem biased, but it's TCU.
01:47 I think, I feel like this team, sure, you've got Braden Taylor, Elijah Nunez, Cole Fontenelle
01:55 leaving, but I feel like they reloaded really well with Peyton Toll and then some of the
02:01 other pitchers that they got in the transfer portal.
02:05 I just, I feel like this team didn't lose as much as they thought they would.
02:10 Yeah.
02:11 You know, I think, because technically some people like to divide it up, there's a regular
02:16 season pick-12 winner and whoever wins the tournament at the end.
02:19 Same thing with basketball.
02:22 I think, here we go being biased, but yeah, I have TCU winning the regular season and
02:28 the tournament.
02:29 TCU just knows how to manage their players well, especially when it comes to tournament
02:32 time and knows how to elongate their starts and who they need pitching from at the time.
02:37 They have one of the deepest bullpens and rotations in the conference.
02:42 Definitely not the most stellar rotation, but definitely the deepest.
02:46 I think that'll help them come early April where arms are already starting to wear off
02:51 a little bit.
02:52 Okay, what about top three teams?
02:56 Top three teams.
02:57 Who else do you think has a shot at competing right there with TCU for winning the conference?
03:02 For the top three teams, for, well, the other two, I've got Texas and Oklahoma State.
03:09 I think Texas Tech obviously is a close step behind them, but Texas is competitive every
03:14 year.
03:15 They always have three or four superstar players that can go and win you a game.
03:20 It's the same concept with J.J. Weatherholt, where he'll go and win you an entire weekend
03:26 with how good that he is.
03:27 I mean, batting over 450, you don't just do that.
03:33 That's not just a hot weekend.
03:36 Texas and Oklahoma State always have dudes that can go and be game changers every single
03:42 night.
03:44 Yeah, I pretty much agree with Texas at two, and my third is kind of going to be a hot
03:51 take.
03:52 It's going to be my first of many this season is I have Kansas State finishing third in
03:56 the conference.
03:59 They have a very, very stellar rotation and probably the best pitching, best closing
04:06 pitcher in the entire country.
04:09 And you have you have two other players.
04:12 You have their starting pitcher Tyson Neighbors.
04:16 He and Kayla Culpepper, who both played for Team USA.
04:19 Kayla Culpepper is going to move over to shortstop from the hot corner at third and Tyson Neighbors,
04:24 who is, like I said, probably the best closer in all of the country.
04:29 And what he brings to the table, especially with the spin rate on his curveball, is disgusting.
04:34 There's going to have times where I think they'll struggle with facing the top teams
04:39 like Texas, TCU, and you have Tech thrown in as well.
04:42 But I think with how the rotation is set up and the star power they have, they have they
04:48 have the ability to play third and they have a lot of reloading they need to do in power
04:53 positions losing 43 of their 77 total team home runs between this year.
04:59 But I think they have the ability to reload.
05:02 That's also going into our next point, the Dark Horse team.
05:07 Clearly minds Kansas State.
05:08 I think they have the ability to win the conference if things click for them all together as a
05:13 team.
05:14 What about you?
05:15 Any thoughts on your Dark Horse team?
05:16 So I looked at Kansas State and normally when I'm looking at like.
05:22 When I look at Kansas State, that is usually my Dark Horse team, specifically because they
05:27 play every single opponent.
05:28 It doesn't matter which which sport, by the way.
05:32 Almost every single opponent they play extremely close.
05:35 But just like last season, TCU needed a robbed home run just to walk away with a weekend
05:39 win of a last.
05:40 Yeah, it doesn't matter if you're number one in the nation.
05:43 Doesn't matter if you're 10 and 40 halfway through the season like.
05:48 There's just they they do know how to get on streaks and they know how to get hot.
05:53 But this year I have West Virginia.
05:56 I think West Virginia kind of full stopping at the Big 12 championship last year.
06:02 I think that pissed them off and I think JJ Weatherhold is going to be on a mission.
06:08 So I've got I've got them potentially winning the entire Big 12 as well as the Big 12 tournament.
06:15 I still have TCU favorite in the Big 12 tournament is for sure, just 'cause you look at kind
06:21 of the veteran presence that is now on that team, even after losing Braden Taylor, Elijah
06:26 Nunez.
06:29 There's still a lot of dudes on on the TCU roster that have already tasted that playoff
06:34 mentality and know how to kind of get in that mindset.
06:38 Yeah, I think.
06:40 Like you're obviously very hot JJ Weatherhold lose a consensus top three pick right now
06:45 and a good spring season could solidify him as a top one because it's a pretty wide open
06:49 draft this year.
06:52 I do like to pick with West Virginia.
06:54 Their rotation and bullpen does cause me a little bit of concern, but it's the great
06:59 thing about baseball.
07:00 Anyone can win at any given day.
07:02 Doesn't matter what your record is and how good you are.
07:06 This year, Big 12 has four new additions to the conference.
07:10 BYU UCF.
07:15 Yeah, and then the fourth is Cincinnati.
07:20 Yeah, thank you.
07:21 Sorry.
07:22 What are your thoughts on how they'll fare in a new conference?
07:26 I mean, they're coming from the American is still the American has sneaky good baseball
07:31 teams, but nothing like the Big 12 has.
07:35 Yeah, I kind of view like Houston and and Cincinnati teams that could have like.
07:44 Pretty good weekends like week weekend and week out.
07:48 I don't see any of them competing for a Big 12 title.
07:54 And I know that may upset some people, but that's just kind of how the Big 12 baseball
08:00 works like it's like.
08:01 If SEC is up here, Big 12 baseball is usually about right here like there.
08:07 They're pretty close all around.
08:09 So I I don't see them.
08:11 I see.
08:12 I think two of the teams will go right near winning around the 500% win mark on the season.
08:22 Yeah, the other two I think will struggle greatly in this division.
08:25 Yeah, I'll tell you the only team that really gives me concern that can push for a.
08:31 Let's say even middle of the pack top of the package UCF just because Florida being such
08:36 a recruiting hotbed and they're going to have some athletes on that team that are going
08:40 to be capable of going out and getting a few wins here and there and knocking you off a
08:44 weekend right?
08:46 I think overall it's you're kind of seeing it in every sport except basketball, where
08:51 most of those teams have already solidified themselves is it's a.
08:55 It's a big jump going from you know they see to the Big 12 and that's going to be included
09:00 in baseball like.
09:02 Athletes are athletes in baseball, but there's still a talent gap that I think might be on
09:06 display.
09:07 I am looking forward to watching TCU play over there.
09:11 BYU has such a beautiful baseball field and stadium.
09:16 And I am excited for that.
09:18 Like that's a that's a bucket list stadium.
09:20 Yeah, like that is.
09:23 They bring they bring great uniforms and fills to the table, but I don't know that the teams
09:26 will be able to compete.
09:28 Let's talk about a little bit more specifics.
09:31 What about preseason awards?
09:33 So the Big 12 already came out with their predictions on the you know who they were
09:37 voted as preseason awards.
09:40 Preseason player of the year was JJ Weatherill, West Virginia.
09:43 That was a unanimous decision.
09:46 Preseason pitcher of the year was LeBaron Johnson, Jr.
09:48 For Texas preseason newcomer of the year was Peyton Tolley from TCU.
09:53 The transfer in and the preseason freshman of the year was Will Gasparino for Texas.
09:58 Any quarrels with any of those or you OK with all of those picks?
10:02 I don't have any quarrels with really.
10:06 Like usually there's like one one award or one player where I'm like, I don't know.
10:11 But I feel like for this year they pretty much got it right.
10:15 I mean, LeBaron Johnson is just a dog.
10:18 Yeah, it doesn't matter.
10:20 It doesn't matter when you see him pitching.
10:23 If you're the other team like it's already in your mind.
10:26 OK, this one's going to be a grinder.
10:28 We can't.
10:29 We can't just like put up a five spot in one inning like this is going to be like a one
10:33 to two run ball game at the most like.
10:36 Yeah, I think I think preseason pitcher of the year I think might be the only one that.
10:43 I'm not 100% 100% solo on Baron Johnson.
10:46 If Tyson neighbors for Kansas State can have a great season with no blown saves, I mean
10:51 he was striking out players at I believe is a 40% rate last season, 47% K rate last season.
10:59 Yeah, if he can, if by some odds and miracles he gets that over 50% and you're looking at
11:05 a man who had a one point one eight five era last season, it's in Kansas State's firing
11:11 on all cylinders and placing top third.
11:14 I think it'd be hard to argue he's not the pitcher of the year.
11:16 But I mean, with that said, you know you're looking at a conference that is very, very
11:23 stellar pitching this season.
11:25 I mean, LeBaron Johnson, like you said, he's arguably the best starter in the conference.
11:32 You can argue a few other pitches here and there, like maybe Cole Klecker takes a step
11:36 up, but LeBaron Johnson's already solidified himself as the number one pitcher starting
11:41 pitcher on the conference.
11:43 Yeah, freshman of the year.
11:44 Cole Gasparino, I got no issues with that.
11:47 I do think that Chase Brunson, the TCU center fielder could make a push for it.
11:52 Playing center field at a high level isn't easy, especially as a true freshman.
11:56 I think that gives him an edge up just because of position base.
11:59 But other than that, I have no real issues with it.
12:03 Coach of the year, you have a choice for coach of the year.
12:09 I really don't.
12:12 That's mostly because I don't know what this conference is going to look like this year.
12:19 I really don't know.
12:21 Yeah, the only, I mean, usually the coach of the year goes to whoever, whichever team
12:27 pretty much wins the conference.
12:29 The only thing I can see maybe if something passes by is if a team like Houston or UCF
12:35 or Cincinnati kind of shines a little bit and finishes like third or fourth in the conference,
12:40 might help an award go that way, one way or another.
12:43 So actually, potentially, you could actually see the Kansas head coach win it.
12:52 Because I saw something on Twitter/X, whatever you want to call it, earlier this morning
12:59 that said that two years ago, Kansas did not have anybody on their team that got votes
13:06 for big 12 preseason players of the year, you know?
13:12 This year, they had two that won preseason honors and they had six players that got voted
13:17 on it, that actually got votes, you know?
13:20 So that could be a team to watch.
13:23 Like I know the last two years, they haven't put together really an entire season, but
13:29 that could definitely be a team to keep an eye on.
13:32 Yeah, one of their players, Jansen Reeder, I mean, he hit over 15 home runs last year
13:37 and he was a 3-4-5 player on the slash line.
13:41 Kansas has built a respectable program considering what they were, and I think that's a fair
13:45 point to bring up.
13:46 Yeah, absolutely.
13:47 All right, well, keep this one short and sweet.
13:51 Any other final thoughts on the conference as a whole that you want to dive into?
13:59 Not really.
14:00 Like I said, I mean, it's going to be top-heavy.
14:03 TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, OSU.
14:07 You have all six of them going to the regionals?
14:10 Or I guess five?
14:13 All five of them going to the regionals?
14:15 Yeah, at least making the field of 64?
14:18 I think so.
14:19 I think so.
14:20 I think all five make it.
14:21 Yeah, okay.
14:22 That's pretty much where I lie, too.
14:23 I don't think we have any surprises making the field of 64.
14:28 I think the conference will be a fight to see who can finish first, not to see where
14:35 the placements are total in the end.
14:36 I think your top five will be kind of solidified throughout the season, and you're just fighting
14:41 for that first-place spot.
14:43 I will say if a team like West Virginia, if they have a sluggish season, there's still
14:49 a threat to be an automatic qualifier by winning the Big 12 tournament.
14:53 So I think it's something to look out for as the season goes on.
14:58 But without anything else to add, that'll wrap it up for this week's episode.
15:02 We'll be back next, we'll record next Wednesday, so next Thursday we'll be out and we'll do
15:08 a deep dive into TCU and how they're going to look pitching-wise and on the offensive
15:16 side.
15:17 So thank you for joining us.
15:18 This is the Polar Frog Bullpen, first episode.
15:21 Carson, pleasure as always.
15:23 See you next week.
15:24 See you there.
15:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]