K-State 25-15 (9-9)

Kansas State baseball decisively bounced back after a four-game losing streak. The Wildcats won four of five, including a 2-1 series win over then-No.15 Oklahoma State. With two victories over the Cowboys and one over Northeastern, K-State has collected three top 50 RPI victories in a week. A mix of pitchers stepping up and timely offense has the Wildcats in the zone as the regular season dwindles down before postseason play.

TCU 24-15 (8-13)

After a strong 2023 postseason and a 13-0 start to this season, TCU fell off somewhat since conference play began. Sporting one of the worst offenses in the Big 12, the Horned Frogs are in rare territory for the program. TCU is in the middle of the postseason race, possibly missing the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the past 10 seasons — excluding 2020 — and its first time since 2018. Now two spots behind K-State in RPI, it has a chance to make a statement.

Matchup to Watch: Wildcat clutch pitching vs. TCU lackluster batting

With the fourth-worst Big 12 ERA and every pitcher who started multiple games hosting an ERA above 5.00, K-State’s defense may seem like quite the weakness. 

Think again.

Despite poor starting pitching, the mound play was saved by the bullpen. With the emergence of reliever JJ Slack, the always-talented closer Tyson Neighbors and the midseason award watch list performances of pitcher Jackson Wentworth, the Wildcats boast quite the trio in the bullpen. Reliever Blake Dean also shines out of the bullpen, and these four may lock down the series as long as the Wildcats hold on early.

On the other side, TCU bats will likely need to find hot starts to compete. With the second-lowest batting average and the lowest on-base percentage in the Big 12, the Horned Frogs have jarring weaknesses. TCU has failed to score over five runs in a game this month, a feat K-State accomplished seven times. If that trend continues, TCU shouldn’t expect to improve its postseason chances this weekend.

Key Players

K-State

Pitcher JJ Slack

Pitcher Tyson Neighbors

TCU

Outfielder Logan Maxwell

Outfielder Luke Boyers

Prediction: K-State 2-1