Three Big 12 baseball squads continue to earn preseason rankings for the 2012 season. Texas (No. 5), Texas A&M (No. 6) and Oklahoma (No. 15) represent the league in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll.

All three teams are also ranked in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America preseason polls for 2012. The Longhorns and Aggies earned the same rankings from Collegiate Baseball, where the Sooners are ranked 16th. In the Baseball America poll, TAMU sits at No. 7 with UT ranked 13th and OU sitting at 19th.

Baylor and Oklahoma State are also receiving votes.

The Aggies ended the season at 47-22, while the Longhorns finished 2011 with a 49-19 record. The two teams posted identical 19-8 conference marks, sharing the regular season crown. Both teams were eliminated from the CWS after two games. It marked the Longhorns' 34th appearance overall, sixth as a member of the Big 12 and first since 2009. The Aggies advanced for the fifth time overall, second as a Big 12 representative and first since 1999. UT closed out 2011 with a No. 6 Baseball America ranking, while TAMU finished at No. 7.

TAMU welcomes back reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Tyler Naquin, who led the nation in hits last season, as well as starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Michael Wacha. The Longhorns return 16 lettermen, including five positional starters and two starting pitchers. Big 12 Freshman of the Year Erich Weiss and NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year and Stopper of the Year award winner Corey Knebel enter 2012 as sophomores.

Oklahoma finished last season with a 41-19 mark and a third-place Big 12 finish. The Sooners concluded their 2011 with an RPI ranking of 22 and were ranked in at least one of the four major polls for 18 of the 19 weeks. Oklahoma returns 11 letterwinners, including four position starters and four pitchers.

The 2012 Big 12 baseball season begins on Friday, Feb. 17 with conference play kicking off the weekend of March 16