TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati baseball team, the No. 5 seed in this week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, will face No. 8 seed UCF in its first game on Tuesday at 5 PM ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Bearcats (31-23) faced the Knights (33-18) on April 26-28 in Orlando and took two out of three games in the series. UC won the first game, 9-4, and the rubber match, 8-2, while UCF won game two by a score of 5-2.
The 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, which features an increase to 10 teams in a modified double-elimination format, is the third consecutive season Globe Life Field has served as the backdrop to the event and the fifth time (2002, 2004) Arlington has served as host. The Big 12 is the only Conference to host its baseball championship at the permanent home of a Major League Baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and the only one to crown a champion in a climate-controlled facility.
// HOW WE GOT HERE
Picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll, Cincinnati claimed the No. 5 seed in this week's tournament. The Bearcats were 31-23 overall and 17-13 in Big 12 play, reaching 30 wins for the first time since the 2019 season.
UC won series against tournament qualifiers Kansas, TCU, UCF, and West Virginia and did not face Texas and Texas Tech during the regular season.
The Bearcats officially clinched their tournament berth on Friday, May 10 with their victory at BYU. Seeding was still undetermined during the final weekend of the season, and Cincinnati's come-from-behind 10-6 win vs. No. 12 Oklahoma helped secure the No. 5 seed.
// LAST TIME VS. UCF
Cincinnati won its weekend series at UCF last month in Orlando.
Entering that weekend, UCF had been ranked atop the Big 12 in team ERA (4.20) and seventh in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (7.53) and the Bearcats were able to tag their pitching staff with 19 runs and 27 hits over the three games.
In Friday's win, UC trailed 4-1 heading into the last third of the game before pushing eight total runs across in the seventh and eighth innings. Cincinnati flipped the script a bit on Sunday by taking an early lead with a three-run first inning, but again piled on the Knights' bullpen and scored four insurance runs in the top of the ninth to secure the victory.
Luke Sefcik hit .545 (6-for-11) at UCF and tied for the team lead with four runs driven in. Lauden Brooks also had four RBI, and both Griffin Hugus and Carson Marsh provided multiple strong innings out of the bullpen.
// 2024 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 6 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Kansas – 9 a.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 2 – No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 9 TCU – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 3 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 8 UCF – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 3 Texas vs. No. 10 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Wednesday, May 22
Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Oklahoma vs. lower-seeded winner of Games 1 & 2 – 12:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 7 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 8 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. Lower-seeded winner of Games 3 & 4 – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Thursday, May 23
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 Winner vs. Higher-seeded winner of Games 1 & 2 – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Higher-seeded winner of Games 3 & 4 – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Friday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 10 Loser vs. Game 9 Winner – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 14 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner (semifinal) – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 15 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 16 – Game 12 Winner vs. Game 15 Winner (semifinal) -7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Saturday, May 25
Game 17 – Championship Game – 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.
The Bearcats (31-23) faced the Knights (33-18) on April 26-28 in Orlando and took two out of three games in the series. UC won the first game, 9-4, and the rubber match, 8-2, while UCF won game two by a score of 5-2.
The 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, which features an increase to 10 teams in a modified double-elimination format, is the third consecutive season Globe Life Field has served as the backdrop to the event and the fifth time (2002, 2004) Arlington has served as host. The Big 12 is the only Conference to host its baseball championship at the permanent home of a Major League Baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and the only one to crown a champion in a climate-controlled facility.
// HOW WE GOT HERE
Picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll, Cincinnati claimed the No. 5 seed in this week's tournament. The Bearcats were 31-23 overall and 17-13 in Big 12 play, reaching 30 wins for the first time since the 2019 season.
UC won series against tournament qualifiers Kansas, TCU, UCF, and West Virginia and did not face Texas and Texas Tech during the regular season.
The Bearcats officially clinched their tournament berth on Friday, May 10 with their victory at BYU. Seeding was still undetermined during the final weekend of the season, and Cincinnati's come-from-behind 10-6 win vs. No. 12 Oklahoma helped secure the No. 5 seed.
// LAST TIME VS. UCF
Cincinnati won its weekend series at UCF last month in Orlando.
Entering that weekend, UCF had been ranked atop the Big 12 in team ERA (4.20) and seventh in the nation in hits allowed per nine innings (7.53) and the Bearcats were able to tag their pitching staff with 19 runs and 27 hits over the three games.
In Friday's win, UC trailed 4-1 heading into the last third of the game before pushing eight total runs across in the seventh and eighth innings. Cincinnati flipped the script a bit on Sunday by taking an early lead with a three-run first inning, but again piled on the Knights' bullpen and scored four insurance runs in the top of the ninth to secure the victory.
Luke Sefcik hit .545 (6-for-11) at UCF and tied for the team lead with four runs driven in. Lauden Brooks also had four RBI, and both Griffin Hugus and Carson Marsh provided multiple strong innings out of the bullpen.
// 2024 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 21
Game 1 – No. 6 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Kansas – 9 a.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 2 – No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 9 TCU – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 3 – No. 5 Cincinnati vs. No. 8 UCF – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 3 Texas vs. No. 10 Texas Tech – 7:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Wednesday, May 22
Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Oklahoma vs. lower-seeded winner of Games 1 & 2 – 12:30 p.m. CT – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 7 – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 8 – No. 2 Oklahoma State vs. Lower-seeded winner of Games 3 & 4 – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Thursday, May 23
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 Winner vs. Higher-seeded winner of Games 1 & 2 – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 11 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Game 12 – Game 8 Winner vs. Higher-seeded winner of Games 3 & 4 – 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Friday, May 24
Game 13 – Game 10 Loser vs. Game 9 Winner – 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 14 – Game 10 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner (semifinal) – 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 15 – Game 12 Loser vs. Game 11 Winner – 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Game 16 – Game 12 Winner vs. Game 15 Winner (semifinal) -7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET – Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Saturday, May 25
Game 17 – Championship Game – 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
NOTE: All dates and times are subject to change due to weather. All schedule changes will be announced on Twitter at @GoBearcatsBASE.