College baseball conference tournaments are underway
#3 TCU is a heavy favorite to beat #11 Houston in the Big 12 quarterfinals
See below for the latest TCU vs Houston odds, picks, and predictions for May 22
The Big 12 baseball tournament is in the quarterfinals, and Houston (30-24, 12-17 Big 12) and TCU (37-17, 19-11 Big 12) play on Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. First pitch is scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
11-seed Houston upset #6 Kansas State 9-2 in Round 1 yesterday to advance to the quarterfinals, while this will be TCU’s first game of the Big 12 Tournament. The winner of this game will play the winner of #7 Oklahoma State and #2 Kansas in the Big 12 semifinals tomorrow.
Keep reading for my TCU vs Houston picks and best bets.
TCU vs Houston Odds
| Bet Type | Houston | TCU |
|---|---|---|
| Runline | +2.5 (-110) | -2.5 (-120) |
| Moneyline | +240 | -330 |
| Total | O 10.5 (-115) | U 10.5 (-115) |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook on May 22. Claim the best DraftKings promo code before placing your college baseball bets.
TCU is a heavy -330 favorite to advance to the Big 12 semifinals. Sportsbooks are giving the Horned Frogs an implied win probability of 76.74%. TCU is -2.5 on the runline vs Houston.
The Horned Frogs went 2-1 in their series vs Houston in the regular season, and TCU won 12-0 and 16-5 in their wins, which would cover this runline spread with ease. The O/U in this matchup is set at 10.5.
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TCU vs Houston Predictions
I am predicting that TCU handles business in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 baseball tournament. Houston kept their season alive yesterday with a surprise upset over Kansas State. The Cougars went down 2-0 early in the first but scored five runs in the top of the second. They did not look back from there, pitching eight consecutive shutout innings to win 9-2. Outside of keeping their season alive, perhaps the best part about their victory was that they did not have to use Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Antoine Jean, in relief.
Jean is the first-ever reliever to win the award in the Big 12. Through 20 appearances this season, Jean has five saves, a 5-1 record, and a 2.43 ERA.
2025 #Big12BSB Pitcher of the Year ⭐️
Antoine Jean | @UHCougarBB pic.twitter.com/eOGzwu0oGQ
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 20, 2025
The bad news for Houston is the pitchers they did use against Kansas State. They are thin on starters heading into the quarterfinals and will likely need to turn to Jean earlier than they would like to.
TCU’s regular-season series vs Houston seems like a good example of what is going to happen in this game. In Game 1 of that series, Houston won 3-2 behind a great pitching effort from Paul Schmitz and Antoine Jean. In Games 2s and 3, TCU attacked Houston’s lack of pitching depth and won the next two games 12-0 and 16-5.
This will be the Horned Frogs’ first game since Saturday, so they have all their pitchers at their disposal. TCU is fourth in the Big 12 with a 4.41 ERA and has a deep rotation of pitchers. Tommy LaPour is their ace with a 2.70 ERA and a 7-2 record.
The pitching edge is significant, but I also like that TCU is playing at Globe Life Field. The Horned Frogs are familiar with playing at this park and played three games earlier this year during the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. They beat Michigan 10-4, then lost to the College World Series odds-on favorite, Arkansas, and then lost to Kansas State. While they went just 1-2 there this season, the Horned Frogs are 18-9 at Globe Life Field over the last five years.
TCU’s lineup is led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Sawyer Strosnider. Strosnider is batting .368 this season and has nine home runs.
Big 12 Baseball Tournament Picks
TCU is currently +6250 to win the 2025 College World Series and would like to improve its seeding in the NCAA Tournament. A Big 12 Tournament win would go a long way, so I expect TCU to come out swinging and beat Houston by a margin.
The Horned Frogs won by double-digits twice against Houston already this season, and I would not be surprised if we see TCU win by multiple runs again tonight. TCU has much more experience in this tournament and has seen success. Under Kirk Saarloos, the Horned Frogs are 29-15 in the Big 12 Tournament and have won the tournament four times. TCU is also 9-3 in their opening game in the Big 12 Tournament, which is not a good sign for Houston.
Houston has been great in Game 1s, but tends to fall off. Towards the end of the regular season, Houston won Game 1s against talented teams in Arizona State and Arizona. The Cougars ended up losing both of those series because of their top-heavy rotation. With their pitching depth not being as strong as they would like heading into this game, I expect the Horned Frogs to put up runs early and often against Houston.
TCU won three of their last four series heading into the Big 12 Tournament, and I trust their experience and momentum to end Houston’s run.
TCU vs Houston Picks: TCU -2.5 (-120)
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