We enter our fourth Friday of RotoBallers College Baseball Betting Picks after a fantastic first three weekends are in the books. We are a little past the halfway point of conference play, and the final field of 64 is starting to shake up. This should be a fun NCAA tournament this year, as several teams have a real chance of winning a National Championship. Last weekend was the epitome of college baseball, as three top-five teams in the country lost the series and got swept.
We have awful weather around the country that will affect college baseball and MLB games. I have decided to attach my entire college baseball betting card today, so be sure to read the write-up section and check out all the plays listed below. Let's have a profitable Friday to get the weekend rolling.
Sportsbooks have recently taken away game totals and run lines in College Baseball. This article will focus on money lines and often parlaying teams to get better odds. Not all books have college lines, so DraftKings Sportsbook will be my primary book, but if you find a line on another book, feel free to use that as well. With no further adieu, here are my favorite bets for Friday, April 28th, 2023.
Featured Promo: Get any full-season Props Premium Pass for 10% off using code BALLER. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!
Today's College Baseball Betting Picks
#18 Arizona State @ #23 Oregon
ASU: Jonah Giblin | ORE: Jace Stoffal
What a huge series we have here, with two teams at the top of the Pac-12 standings. Arizona State (28-13) travels to PK Park to face Oregon (28-12) with the top spot of the Pac-12 on the line. This should be a tremendous series as both these teams are outstanding, but today I give the advantage to Oregon for several reasons. First, they are at home; believe it or not, this park is loud and tough to play in. We played a super regional here in 2012, and I swear when they did their "Go Ducks" chant, the dugouts were shaking.
The second significant advantage here is starting pitcher Jace Stoffal (5-2, 3.02 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 49 K), who has been an absolute stud in conference play and is one of the hottest pitchers in the country. Arizona State will send Jonah Giblin (1-0, 5.09 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 27 K) to the mound, who is a converted reliever-made starter. In his five Pac-12 starts, Giblin has a 7.64 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and nine walks in only 17.2 innings pitched. The Ducks are not an offensive powerhouse, but with Stoffal on the mound, they just need to scratch a couple across the plate against Giblin.
Pick: Oregon Moneyline (-160) DraftKings Sportsbook
Today's College Baseball Betting Picks
UCLA @ #8 Stanford
UCLA: Jake Brooks | STAN: Quinn Matthews
Stanford (26-12) hosts UCLA (23-13-1) in another huge Pac-12 series this Friday. Stanford will send Senior All-American left-hander Quinn Matthews (4-3, 2.60 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 86 K) to the bump against the Bruins Jake Brooks (5-3, 4.42 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 55 K). Matthews has much experience as a rare senior in a power five conference pitching on Fridays. His stuff may not translate to the next level, but he knows how to get people out and win baseball games. Don't get me wrong, his name will again be selected this July in the MLB draft, but he is not a first-round pick like others we will talk about today.
Stanford is led by Golden Spikes watch list nominees Tommy Troy (.393 AVG, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 36 R) and Braden Montgomery (.336 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 42 R). Stanford at home with their senior ace on the bump should be too much for UCLA in game one of their three-game set. I like UCLA when Treadwell is on the bump, but today is not that day.
Pick: Stanford Moneyline (-130) DraftKings Sportsbook
Sports Betting Promo Offers
Attention, fellow sports bettors! We have some exciting news to share as we are officially partnered with various sportsbooks and have some sweet sports betting promo offers! Get your deposit bonus, as well as a year of free RotoBaller Premium access, when you sign up with a new account today! After you're signed up, use our picks in this article for spreads, totals, and props to win big.
Featured Promo: Get any VIP Betting Premium Pass for 10% off using code BALLER. Win more with exclusive betting picks from proven winners across 9 sports! Find optimal bets with our Betting Picks Tool and Bet Weighting Tool and follow along in our VIP chat rooms! Go Premium, Win More!
Today's College Baseball Betting Picks
#15 Kentucky @ #5 Vanderbilt
UK: TBA | VU: Carter Holton
Vanderbilt (29-11) got embarrassed in Knoxville last weekend after getting swept by the Vols. They now host Kentucky (30-10) at Hawkins Field. Kentucky is 4-8 in their previous 12, although they have played Georgia, LSU, Xavier, Texas A&M, and Lousiville, all of which are quality baseball teams. Vanderbilt sends All-American ace Carter Holton (4-0, 3.20 ERA, 52 K) to the bump. Holton is a top-10 starting pitcher in college baseball, and Kentucky has struggled on Fridays. They still haven't announced a starter but have announced their Saturday and Sunday rotation pieces.
Leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr. (.293 AVG, 26 SB, 49 R) and RJ Schreck (.366 AVG, 10 HR, 45 RBI) will look to get the offense going early at home. If this game is close, Vanderbilt can also turn to Nick Maldonado (1-1, 1.57 ERA, 4 SV), the country's best closer. Vandy should be too much for Kentucky in this series, especially on a Friday night with Holton on the bump.
Pick: Vanderbilt Moneyline (-160) DraftKings Sportsbook
Today's College Baseball Betting Picks (Parlay)
Missouri @ #4 Florida | #18 West Virginia @ Baylor
MU: Chandler Murphy | UF: Brandon Sproat
WVU: Ben Hampton | BAY: Mason Marriott
Florida (32-10) welcomes Missouri (24-16) to Gainesville at Condron Family Ballpark. Florida, like Vanderbilt, was swept by South Carolina on the road and now returns home for a pivotal series. The Gators should bounce back here against one of the worst teams in the SEC. Bradon Sproat will get the ball for the Gators as he opposes Mizzou's, Chandler Murphy. Sproat has outstanding stuff, as his heater will touch triple digits, and he has a plus change-up.
The Gators are led by two-way star Jac Caglianone (.372 AVG, 23 HR, 60 RBI), who leads the country with 23 home runs and is Florida's Sunday starter who can run it up to 100 MPH. Shortstop Josh Rivera (.386 AVG, 14 HR, 54 RBI) and leadoff hitter Wyatt Langford (.374 AVG, 9 HR, 52 R) round out arguably the best first three hitters in the country. Florida is in a great bounce-back spot here at home.
West Virginia (30-11) has been one of the most surprising teams in the country this season. They can swing it and are coming off series upsets against TCU and Oklahoma State on back-to-back weekends. They now travel to Waco to face the Baylor Bears (15-26). We have been picking on Baylor all season, and it won't stop here.
The Mountaineers will send junior left-hander Ben Hampton (4-1, 3.99 ERA, 54 K) to oppose the Bears sophomore right-hander Mason Marriott (1-5, 8.86 ERA, 38 K). Marriott has struggled this year, and potential Big 12 player of the year JJ Weatherholt (.459 AVG, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 49 R) will make him pay tomorrow.
Pick: Florida ML + West Virginia ML (-101) DraftKings Sportsbook
Today's College Baseball Betting Picks (Parlay)
Mississippi State @ #24 Tennessee | Alabama @ #1 LSU
MSU: TBA | TENN: Chase Dollander
ALA: Luke Holman | LSU: Paul Skenes
Tennessee (28-14) has woken up, and the country needs to take notice. After sweeping Vanderbilt last weekend, they opened their three-game series against Mississippi State (24-18) with an 8-7 walk-off win as Griffin Merritt hit his second straight Friday night walk-off home run. They came back last Friday night after hitting two solo home runs off Vanderbilts All-American closer Nick Maldonado and have not looked back since. They have scored 57 runs in 37 innings since that point.
Ace Chase Dollander (5-4, 3.81 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 80 K) will toe the rubber tonight after being moved from the Friday roll into the number two starters spot. Dollander will be a top-five pick in the upcoming MLB Draft and has some of the best stuff in the country. He went seven innings last Saturday against Vandy, allowing one run on six hits and nine strikeouts. With the Vol's bats finally clicking on all cylinders and their ace on the mound, they are one of the best teams in the country; dare I say their back?
LSU (32-8) will send their ace and the golden spikes award clubhouse leader Paul Skenes (7-1, 1.97 ERA, 115 K) to the mound today at "The Box" against SEC foe Alabama (30-12). Skenes is electric, and if you have not got the opportunity to watch him pitch yet this season, tune in tonight, as he is worth the price of admission. He has 115 strikeouts in only 59.1 innings pitched. That comes with only 12 walks. He will be on a big league mound soon and will be a top-three pick come July.
The offense also has a ton of star power, led by consensus number-one pick Dylan Crews (.485 AVG, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 66 R). Big bopper and NC State transfer Tommy White (.370 AVG, 13 HR, 66 RBI) led the country in home runs last season. Tre Morgan, Gavin Dugas, and freshman Jared Jones round out the most talented lineup in the country. LSU has been plagued with injuries but is still my pick to win a national championship and, at the moment, the best team in the country.
Pick: Tennessee ML + LSU ML (+101) DraftKings Sportsbook
Full Betting Card
- Oklahoma State ML (-195) Postponed
- Texas State ML (+120)
- Maryland ML (+120)
- Tennessee ML + LSU ML (+101)
- Vanderbilt ML (-160)
- Arkansas ML (-165)
- Florida ML + West Virginia ML (-101)
- Virginia ML (-180)
- Oregon ML (-160)
- Stanford ML (-130)
Thank you for reading the fourth 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!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis