RADIO
We have made it to Omaha, and the start of the College World Series. I played in this event in 2012 with the Kent State Golden Flashes, and to this day, outside of the birth of my child and my wedding is the most significant moment of my life. When you watch the games today, you will see more passion for the game of baseball than any big league game you have ever seen. This is the closest they will ever be to a big-league moment for some of these kids. This is the most incredible sports event of the year, and its beauty is that it lasts for two weeks, so buckle up.
With only two games today and lines already being posted for two games tomorrow, I have decided to focus this article on Friday and Saturday. This will be the last college baseball article of the season here at RotoBaller. It has been my honor providing you all with these; believe it or not, this is this article's eleventh and final edition. Thank you so much for letting me provide college baseball content to you for the last three months.
Not all books have college lines, so because of that, DraftKings Sportsbook will be my primary book. If you find a line in another book, feel free to use that as well. With no further adieu, here are my favorite bets for Friday, June 16, 2023, and Saturday, June 17, 2023. The pictures in the article are with permission from my guys at College Baseball Insiders. Make sure you give him a follow on Twitter, as well as Matt Grissom and Quentin Mills, who provide excellent free content.
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Today's College Baseball Betting Picks
#11 Virginia @ #2 Florida
Cavaliers: Nick Parker | Gators: Brandon Sproat
The Florida Gators (50-15) have returned to Omaha for the first time since 2018. Their last National Championship came the year prior, in 2017. Virginia (50-13) returns to Omaha for the first time since 2021. Their previous and only National Title came in 2015. These are two powerhouses in College Baseball, and this should be a heavyweight title fight in primetime tonight.
Florida advances to the College World Series after a dominating performance at home against South Carolina. The Gators allowed four runs in a two-game sweep of the Gamecocks and were led by their elite pitching staff. They used five arms in two games to complete the sweep. Virginia returned from a 5-4 defeat last Friday against Duke to score 26 runs in the next two games to advance to the promised land. The country's top offense leads them.
Brandon Sproat (8-3, 4.69 ERA, 2.98 SIERA) will get the ball in game one in Omaha. He has an electric fastball that he will run in the upper 90s and the best change-up in college baseball. He went six innings allowing three earned runs, and struck out six against South Carolina in game one of super regional play.
Brandon Neely (13 saves, 3.66 ERA, 2.47 SIERA) is a weapon out of the bullpen for Florida. Neely threw five scoreless innings over three appearances in the regional and closed out both of Florida's wins in super-regional play, allowing one run on a solo home run.
The offense is deadly and is clicking on all cylinders at the moment. Jac Caglianone (.335 AVG, 31 HR, 158 wRC+), Wyatt Langford (.373 AVG, 18 HR, 182 wRC+), Josh Rivera (.362 AVG, 17 HR, 152 wRC+), Cade Kurland (.300 AVG, 16 HR, 132 wRC+), and BT Riopelle (.249 AVG, 16 HR, 116 wRC+) lead one of the best offenses in the country.
Nick Parker (8-0, 3.81 ERA, 3.25 SIERA) will get the ball for the Cavs in game one. Parker went six and two-thirds last time out and allowed three runs with four strikeouts against Duke in game one of super-regional play. BY Riopelle is Parker's former teammate, and in press conferences before the College World Series, he seemed to have a full scouting report of Parker.
The offense is why Virginia is here and is led by Jake Gelof (.331 AVG, 23 HR, 160 wRC+) and Kyle Teel (.418 AVG, 13 HR, 168 wRC+). The park factor in Omaha will be huge as it is massive, and I will always side with arms over bats here in Omaha.
Pick: Florida Moneyline (-135) DraftKings Sportsbook
Tomorrow's College Baseball Betting Picks
#6 Stanford @ #1 Wake Forest
Cardinal: TBA (Quinn Matthews Projected) | Demon Deacons: Rhett Lowder
On Saturday, Stanford will battle the number one national seed Wake Forest in game one. Stanford dramatically heads to Omaha after walking off Texas in game three after right fielder Dylan Campbell lost the ball in the lights on a routine fly ball. Wake Forest dominated Alabama at home scoring 22 runs in the clinching game and securing a sweep over the Crimson Tide.
Wake Forest will send star pitcher and reigning two-time ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder (15-0, 1.92 ERA, 2.20 SIERA) to the mound. Stanford will send their ace and All-American Quinn Mathews (10-4, 3.60 ERA, 2.58 SIERA). The Wake Forest bullpen is elite and can turn to Sean Sullivan (2.47 ERA, 1.16 SIERA) when needed in a tight game.
The offenses are built on power, as both hit over 117 home runs as a team this year. Charles Schwab Field in Omaha is an enormous ballpark, much bigger than the two parks that Stanford and Wake play in. Home runs will happen, but not at the rate we saw at Wake Forest and Stanford in super-regional play. I love the under in this matchup when you add two elite starting pitchers on the mound and rested bullpens.
Pick: Under 11.5 runs (-120) DraftKings Sportsbook
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THANK YOU!
Thank you for reading the eleventh and final edition of our College Baseball Bets saga. If you have any questions, you can message me or tweet me on Twitter @CaseyW22. Most games are accessible on ESPN+, but if you have trouble finding them, head to each team's athletics website, and you can follow the games on live stats or even sometimes free live streams. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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