Junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer swings during the Sunday game against Texas. Texas defeated Kansas 16-5 at Hoglund Ballpark.

As the pieces to the puzzle that is Big 12 baseball begin to fall into place these next two weeks, the Big 12 Conference Tournament picture is no clearer than it was in early March.

Although the top four teams have solidified their standing in the league race, the bottom half is a logjam. Kansas shook up the equation with a series victory against Texas last weekend. Kansas is now 8-12 in conference play, which puts it in the eighth and final spot in the Big 12 Tournament. Only 10 schools have baseball teams, and of those only eight make the conference tournament.

Kansas is one-half game behind Texas Tech for seventh and one-half game in front of Texas A&M; in ninth. That creates an interesting scenario for the last six games of the year.

For Texas A&M; to leapfrog either Kansas or Texas Tech, Texas A&M; would have to go through two of the toughest teams in the league. Texas A&M; will be host to Baylor this weekend, and then travels to Austin to take on Texas in the season’s final series.

Kansas State, which is four games behind Kansas in the loss column, has just one conference series remaining. K-State takes on nationally-ranked Nebraska in Lincoln.

The Jayhawks seem to have an easier road ahead, at least relative to the Aggies and Wildcats. They resume the Border Showdown next weekend at Missouri, and then finish their season slate against the Cowboys in Lawrence May 20 through 22. Both teams are in the top five in the conference’s standings.

Coach Ritch Price said he felt good about his team’s chances of going to the tournament after the series win over Texas last weekend.

“We moved up into solid contention,” Price said. “Most importantly, if we just continue to win series, we can control our own destiny.”

Not only do the Jayhawks have a great opportunity to hold on, they also have an opportunity to move higher in the standings. Thinking big, the Jayhawks could possibly jump to as high as fifth if everything plays out to their advantage.

With the home games against Oklahoma State, just one and a half games ahead of Kansas in the fifth slot, Kansas has an outside chance of moving up to fifth.

But moving up to sixth or seventh is more likely. Oklahoma is tied with Kansas in the loss column with a record of 9-12. Oklahoma has the Bedlam Series against Oklahoma State this weekend before finishing with three games against Texas Tech.

Junior first baseman Jared Schweitzer, who has been a stalwart in the Jayhawks’ late-season charge, said the team could make a push toward the middle of the standings.

“We put ourselves in a position where we can go to Missouri and hopefully win a series there,” Schweitzer said. “If we won a couple of games against them we could be in a good position.”

The Big 12 Tournament takes place May 25 through May 29 in Oklahoma City.

Kansas missed the tournament last year after qualifying in 2003. That was the only appearance for Kansas since the conference began in the 1997 season.

— Edited by Lisa Coble-Krings