Baylor To Face No. 9 Oklahoma State in Elimination Game
A disappointing loss for the Baylor Bears in their Big 12 Tournament opener against TCU has them on the brink of elimination on Thursday. They will face off an Oklahoma State squad that took two of three from the Bears to end the regular season as they hope to keep their season alive for one more day.
Here's what you need to know about the game, from how to watch to a breakdown of the Cowboys.
How to watch:
Thursday at 9 a.m. Central (Big 12 Now on ESPN+)
A look at Oklahoma State's season so far
Oklahoma State was a dominant force for most of the season in the Big 12, as the Cowboys looked prime to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. They would stumble to end the regular season though, losing five of their last seven games before dropping their Big 12 Tournament opener to the Texas Longhorns 4-0.
Oklahoma State by the numbers
Record: 36-19 (15-9)
Runs scored: 395
Runs allowed: 270
Team ERA: 4.42
Team Avg.: .287
Oklahoma State wins this game if...
They can get run support for their starting pitcher, who presumably will be ace Justin Campbell. Pete Hansen absolutely shut down the Cowboy lineup on Wednesday morning, racking up 12 strikeouts in his outing. If the Cowboys cannot provide run support for their pitching against Baylor, they could be in for a short Big 12 Tournament stay.
Baylor wins this game if...
Like we said before the TCU game if Baylor can not blow a late lead should the Bears have one, they will be in great shape. The Bears took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning against TCU and would allow four unanswered runs to drop the game. If Baylor can find a lead against the Cowboys and manage to not blow said lead, they will keep their tournament run alive for one more day.
Kyle Nevin
Tre Richardson
Jared McKenzie
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Baylor Bears? Click Here
Follow Inside the Bears on Twitter
Follow Inside the Bears on Facebook
Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.