If past seasons have proven anything, then the final spots for this season’s Big 12 Conference baseball tournament likely will be decided on the last day of the regular season — and it probably will come down to percentage points.

Kansas University has set itself up to be right there, too, after winning two of three over Kansas State last weekend to get back in the hunt.

Now, six teams with sub-.500 conference records will fight for the final four spots in the Big 12 tourney, which takes place starting May 25 in Oklahoma City.

The top eight, based on conference winning percentage, will be invited. Colorado and Iowa State don’t field teams, which means only two schools will stay home.

Currently, Kansas and Kansas State are the odd teams out, but neither is facing a steep incline to get back in it. Four of the six teams still fighting for berths have six conference games left, but Kansas — along with Oklahoma — have nine.

“I think we have a huge advantage,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “We have a chance to win those games. Some of those teams have already lost them.”

Today the Jayhawks will take a break from Big 12 action with a 7 p.m. game at Hoglund Ballpark against St. Mary’s College, an NAIA school in Leavenworth. KU then will travel Wednesday to Wichita State before returning home to entertain Texas this weekend.

So who’s in the driver’s seat to make the Big 12 tournament? The top four teams — Baylor (15-6), Texas (13-7), Nebraska (12-6) and Missouri (11-7) — likely will hang on and claim spots.

At 10-11, Oklahoma State is fifth in the standings. But it’s quite a logjam after that, with Texas Tech (8-11), Oklahoma (7-11), Texas A&M (8-13), Kansas (6-11) and Kansas State (7-14) all within two games of each other.

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The good news for the Jayhawks is the fact a strong finish to the Kansas State series allows them to control their own destiny for one of the invitations — something Price is fond of. Nothing, he says, is worse than your fate being in someone else’s hands.

“I think every baseball team watches the scoreboard to see if they made up ground during the weekend,” Price said. “But if we don’t win ourselves, no matter what happens, it doesn’t do us any good.”

Kansas will start trying to play leapfrog again Friday, when UT comes to Lawrence. The Longhorns are ranked third in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball’s Top 25 polls, but that’s nothing new. Kansas won single games against what might have been stronger Texas teams in 2002 and 2003. Texas won the national title in ’02.

Kansas then plays three Border War games against Missouri starting May 13, before closing out the regular season with a three-game set against Oklahoma State starting May 20 at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Jayhawks’ troubles this year — inconsistent pitching and shaky defense — aren’t completely solved, but Price likes the direction the team is going with the most important games of the season coming up.

“We’re head and shoulders better,” Price said. “They’ve made big strides.

“Now, for the next month, they need to play their best baseball of the season.”