In a highly-competitive Big 12, little separates the first-place Baylor Bears and the seventh-place Texas Longhorns — at 5-6 in conference, the Longhorns are only three games behind the 8-3 Bears.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys sit in second place at 7-5, affording Texas a big opportunity to move up in the standings during a pre-Easter series that begins in Stillwater on Thursday evening at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. Based on the Massey Composite rankings, the series is well matched, with Texas ranking No. 29 nationally and Oklahoma State ranking No. 32.
Coached by Cowboys alum Josh Holliday, Oklahoma State is coming off a disappointing weekend series loss to Kansas in Lawrence — after winning the first game 27-6, the Pokes dropped the next two by a total of three runs.