SURPRISE, Ariz. (Interstat) — West Virginia and Kansas State meet Thursday in the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Surprise Stadium, a rematch of a three-game series the Mountaineers swept earlier this month.

West Virginia (37-13) carries the tournament’s best record into the game, while Kansas State (29-25) enters after a 9-4 win over TCU on Wednesday to close the regular season. The Mountaineers outscored the Wildcats 29-7 in a three-game sweep May 1-3 in Morgantown, winning 7-0, 9-1 and 13-6.

Players to watch

Kansas State’s James Guyette has been inconsistent but showed ace potential his last time out. The right-hander threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a 9-5 win at Utah on May 19, allowing no hits and two earned runs. On May 10, he tossed a complete game with 13 strikeouts against Cincinnati.

But Guyette struggled in the May 3 meeting at West Virginia, allowing five earned runs on no hits in four innings in a 13-6 loss. He has surrendered three or more earned runs in four of his last six appearances.

West Virginia’s Reese Bassinger has been a reliable bullpen arm. In his last three outings, the right-hander has allowed no earned runs in 9 2/3 innings across four appearances. He threw 3 2/3 hitless innings with one strikeout in a 6-4 win over TCU on May 16, and struck out four over five scoreless innings in a 13-2 win at Kansas on May 10.

Bassinger faced Kansas State on May 3, allowing three earned runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings in the Mountaineers’ 13-6 win. He has allowed earned runs in only two of his last seven outings.

Recent form

Kansas State has split its last 10 games, going 5-5. The Wildcats dropped three of four at UCF from May 14-16 before winning at Utah on May 19 and at TCU on Wednesday.

West Virginia closed the regular season with a 6-4 win over TCU on May 16 after dropping the series opener 4-0. The Mountaineers won six of their last eight.

First pitch is set for Thursday. The winner advances in the double-elimination tournament.