In poker, Kansas University’s baseball team would be considered “full of outs” for a Big 12 Conference tournament berth.

No, it’s not as crummy as outs in baseball. Outs in poker are a good thing, a potential draw that could end up favorably for a player. When speaking in “Texas Hold ’em” terms, the Jayhawks have plenty of outs to get to where they want to be, putting them in good shape to qualify for the Big 12 tournament, which begins next week at SBC Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

The top eight teams by winning percentage qualify for the tournament, and with the Big 12 only fielding 10 squads — Colorado and Iowa State don’t play — only two are left out each year.

Currently, Kansas is in eighth place, ahead of Texas A&M and Kansas State. The “out” that has coach Ritch Price the most at ease, though, is that Kansas (34-25 overall, 9-14 Big 12) controls its own destiny. If the Jayhawks win their home series this weekend against Oklahoma State (38-20, 11-13), they’re in.

The rest of the scenarios are quite complicated, so Price would prefer to keep it simple and save everybody some stressful scoreboard watching.

“That’s what we’ll be preaching to our team all week,” Price said. “Winning the series.”

Technically, the Jayhawks could clinch a bid as early as Friday, if they win and Kansas State and Texas A&M both lose. Most likely, though, the tournament participants won’t completely be figured out until Sunday, the last day of the regular season.

Kansas has a one-game cushion over Texas A&M and Kansas State (both 8-16). That means the Jayhawks could clinch a berth if the Wildcats or Aggies don’t gain two games during the three-game weekend — a tough task for KSU and A&M, but not an impossible one.

Kansas State plays at Nebraska (16-8). Texas A&M plays Texas (14-9), with the first game at A&M and the last two in Austin, Texas.

The Jayhawks could finish as low as dead last in the standings or as high as fifth — if they sweep the Cowboys, and Texas Tech wins two of three against Oklahoma.

There’s an awful lot of important baseball left, even if it’s only three games. KU’s series with the Cowboys, along with three other important series in the Big 12, will place the Jayhawks in any one of six slots in the conference standings.

The higher the placing in the standings, the better the seed, which has Kansas shooting for a sweep this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.

“People are now going to start adjusting their pitching staffs to prepare for the Big 12 tournament,” Price said. “If someone pitches Sunday, they obviously can’t pitch Wednesday, so it’s going to affect this weekend considerably. We can’t afford to let it affect us.”