The first week brought both good and bad to the Big 12 teams. The expected winner of the conference performed well against other powers in the conference, while several other teams performed very well. However, last year’s Big 12 winner did not get off to a good start.

Bad week for Arizona

It’s a good thing Big 12 play has not started for Arizona.

The reigning Big 12 champions went 0-5 during the first week, including four losses on neutral turf and a loss on February 19 in extras against UConn. While Chip Hale‘s squad lost all games — the largest margin of loss was three — it still marked a rough beginning for a very different team.

Staff ace Owen Kramkowski, expected to be an in-demand pitcher in the 2026 MLB Draft, had a very difficult go against Stanford. Kramkowski struck out only two over 3.1 IP and conceded six hits. He also gave up a lot of hard contact; eight batted balls in his start were over 100 MPH.

The lone positives were Matthew Martinez and Tony Lira. Martinez struck out 10 over 5.2 IP, impressive for the senior who topped out at 89 MPH. Lira, meanwhile, had a team-high nine hits and 10 total bases in those five games.

TCU hung with top-tier teams

Heavy Big 12 favorites TCU went 2-2 in the odyssey in Arlington during the opening weekend. The Horned Frogs picked up wins against Vanderbilt and Arkansas from the SEC before suffering losses to Oklahoma and UT Arlington.

Junior Chase Brunson did very well. Brunson hit .429 and picked up 10 total bases during the week. He also showed little swing-and-miss, as well.

Tommy LaPour and Mason Brassfield each pitched fine, although the latter had four walks over four innings in his lone start. LaPour topped out at 99 MPH.

Freshman Cade Nelson, a sinkerballer who sits in the low 90s, struck out five over four innings.

Perfect teams

Five teams went perfect during the first week of 2026: Kansas State, West Virginia, Houston, Baylor, & Arizona State.

K-State picked up four wins, all against quality opposition. The Wildcats beat Iowa, UConn, Penn State, and Air Force, and scored 10+ runs in three of those four games. Outfielder AJ Evasco was the shining star, as he picked up nine total hits and 15 total bases. Evasco had three line drives over 109 MPH in those four games.

The Mountaineers had a great overall offense and a stellar first start from D2 transfer Dawson Montesa. The junior from Adelphi in New York struck out seven over six innings.

Historic game in Waco

Lastly, it’s impossible to cap off the recap without mentioning Tyce Armstrong. Not only did Baylor get off to a 4-0 start but the headliner from Opening Day was also the senior who hit three grand slams against New Mexico State. The last one ended the game, as the Bears walked it off via mercy rule.

It was Armstrong’s first game as a Baylor Bear. He played three years at UT Arlington before heading to Baylor for 2026.

Check out more of our college baseball coverage, including a look at how the ACC did in Week 1.