The Cincinnati Bearcats baseball team is making noise at just the right time. Heading into their final homestand of the regular season, UC has cracked multiple national Top 25 rankings and is within striking distance of a historic milestone.
Fresh off a successful road trip where they took two of three from Kansas State and won six of their last seven games, the Bearcats have earned respect across the board. D1 Baseball, the gold standard for college baseball rankings, slots Cincinnati at No. 25. Baseball America is even higher on the Bearcats, ranking them No. 18, while Just Baseball puts them at No. 21. CFBHome, typically known for football coverage, has UC as high as No. 12 in its latest tally.
Head coach Jordan Bischel reached a personal milestone during Saturday's win over Kansas State—his 100th victory at the helm of the Bearcats program. The win was powered by Quinton Coats, who crushed his 25th home run of the season, moving him to fourth in the entire NCAA in long balls.
At 35-18 overall and 15-12 in Big 12 play, this year's squad is already an improvement over last season's 33-26 team that made the NCAA Knoxville Regional. Now, the Bearcats have their eyes on the school record for wins: 39, set back in 2008.
The final regular-season test comes this week with a three-game series against Texas Tech, running Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16. The Red Raiders enter at 26-25 overall but just 9-18 in conference play. After that, it's off to Surprise, Arizona, for the Big 12 Baseball Tournament, a single-elimination event running May 19-23.
There's plenty at stake in the conference standings. The top six teams earn a double-bye in the tournament, and UC currently sits seventh at 15-12. With three games left, every win matters. The teams directly ahead include a 16-11 squad heading to West Virginia, Oklahoma State (No. 21 in D1 Baseball) hosting Arizona, UCF (17-10) welcoming Kansas State, and Arizona State (No. 22) visiting Houston.
Game times for the Texas Tech series are 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with Saturday's Senior Day finale set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Tickets are available, and with history on the line, this is a homestand Bearcats fans won't want to miss.