As the VSiN faithful have come to realize over the past few years, interest and betting action in college baseball continue to grow.  A number of handicappers now weave College World Series talk into the same early summer conversations about the MLB, NHL and NBA playoffs. 

While its handle is nowhere near big brother college basketball, we can still treat the upcoming postseason like we do with a handicapping exercise leading up to the selection of the Field of 68 76.  That is striking a line between the legitimate national contenders and everyone else. In college hoops, the population of teams north of that line is usually between 6-10. 

For college baseball, with the tournament beginning on May 29th, that number currently stands at eight. And fitting recent trends, it skews heavily towards the SEC (winners of six straight CWS) and the ACC. 

Although at the top of the list is UCLA (+600) out of the Big Ten, a conference now squarely in the business of winning national championships. 

Here is a look at those making the list of CWS contenders. 

Odds courtesy of DraftKings 

UCLA (+600 to win CWS & -150 to make CWS) 

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From the start, the Bruins and their 45+ wins have been the best team in the country, led by Roch Cholowsky, the best player in the country.  The .330 hitting shortstop with over 20 home runs will very likely be the first pick in the MLB Draft. In fact, speculation is the Giants traded Patrick Bailey to Cleveland in order to secure more draft bonus money to help land Cholowsky. 

On the mound, the Bruins, with a team WHIP of 1.16, are led by the starting combination of Michael Barnett and Logan Reddemann. 

UCLA’s recent contentious series win (its 9th straight in conference play) over Oregon, a team fighting to host a regional, was great prep for the postseason. 

While most college baseball analysis at this time will be SEC-focused, the Bruins are set up nicely against geographic opponents during the regional and then super regional. 

We recommended the Bruins at 12/1 back in February to help build a futures portfolio. The fact they remain available at half that number after running through the regular season makes UCLA a necessary wager for any bettor still looking to get into the CWS market. 

Georgia Tech (+600 to win CWS & -145 to make CWS) 

Our recommendation back in February was to take the upstart Yellow Jackets at 4/1 to make the College World Series. The way this offense has mashed all season, just making it to Omaha is no longer good enough.

Georgia Tech, on its way to winning a second straight ACC regular season title, leads the conference in home runs, batting average and slugging percentage. This contender has its own flashy stud to rival Cholowsky in outfielder Drew Burress.  The junior is hitting .375 with over 50 RBI. 

Behind the plate is Vahn Lackey, arguably the best two-way catcher in the nation. 

The Bruins and Yellow Jackets may have similar odds, but Georgia Tech’s 4.68 team ERA puts them a slight notch below UCLA. 

North Carolina (+900 to win CWS & -110 to make CWS)

Another strong candidate to be the first ACC squad to win a national championship since Virginia in 2015. 

The Diamond Heels take a different approach than Georgia Tech by relying much more on their arms than bats. UNC’s team ERA of 3.50 is almost half a run better than Florida State (+3500), the second-best staff in the league. 

A Top 5 team just about all season, North Carolina is in the advantageous position of having Jason DeCaro (9-1 & 1.91 ERA), the ace of all aces. 

Mississippi State (+950 to win CWS & +105 to make CWS )

Here comes the rest of the contending pack, and they are all out of the SEC. In his first year in Starkville, Brian O’Connor, the coach who won that 2015 national championship for the Cavaliers, has the Bulldogs back in national championship contention.

Mississippi State is an offense-first group led by Ace Reese. As good as O’Connor’s track record is, the Bulldogs’ recent series losses to Auburn and Texas are concerning since they are just 3-12 against the SEC’s upper echelon.  

Texas (+950 to win CWS & -110 to make CWS)

Another team residing in the Top 10 all year. The elements are there for this program to win its first title since 2005.  A likely Top 8 seed with Jim Schlossnagle making the decisions, Casey Borba sparking the offense and lefty Dylan Volantis serving as a bona fide No.1. 

Georgia (+1000 to win CWS & +120 to make CWS)

The SEC’s top team in wins, home runs and batting average. Its 140 long balls make this a must-watch offense. Nonetheless, UGA needs better output from the conference’s 11th-best pitching staff.

Bookmakers and analysts are not as bullish on the Bulldogs as its offense suggests. Last year’s failures on the mound when Georgia got bounced from the Athens regional are still fresh in their minds. 

Texas A&M (+1100 to win CWS & +115 to make CWS)

The Aggies rebounding so well from last year’s disappointing campaign caught SEC opponents and bettors off guard. Gavin Grahovac is back to lead a high-powered offense with just enough arms to keep the hope of landing a Top 8 seed alive. 

From a betting standpoint, the time to get the Aggies was two weeks ago when they crept up the SEC standings and were still available at 27/1. 

Auburn (+1100 to win CWS & +110 to make CWS) 

The nation’s hottest team is the last in our group of legitimate contenders. Like Texas A&M, Auburn recently saw its odds drop dramatically. Success playing a grueling schedule backed by strong starting pitching and an effective bullpen places the War Eagles squarely in a position to host a super regional at Plainsman Park, the SEC’s finest venue.

Missing the Cut 

Noticeably absent from this list are Arkansas (+5500), LSU (+12000), Vanderbilt (+25000) and Tennessee (+6000), a quartet of SEC stalwarts that are auto plays for many futures bettors. 

The Bayou Bengals, who were one of our preseason picks, continue to stumble in their bid for back-to-back championships. 

West Virginia (+2800) and Kansas (+6000) are the best of the Big 12, but both lack the offense and pitching depth as those labeled as legit contenders. 

Coastal Carolina (+6000) will always get betting attention based on holding the honor of being the best program outside the power conference ranks.  But calling them a mid-major is the same mistake as doing likewise for Gonzaga hoops. 

Last year’s CWS finalist still has work to do by fending off Southern Mississippi (+6000) to win the Sun Belt regular season title – a must-have for seeding purposes. 

A healthy Cameron Flukey (not a guarantee) on the mound gives the Chanticleers a good chance of winning someone else’s regional at a plus price. 

Moving Forward 

Even though all eight of these contenders can currently see a path to Omaha, that doesn’t mean bettors should just rip off numerous make the CWS wagers.

Those with minus odds don’t offer much in terms of ROI this far out when an easily administered roll over parlay during the regionals and supers becomes effective. 

The same holds true for a team like Georgia offering slight plus odds. 

A suggestion to build/expand a portfolio through make the CWS wagers is to look for surging P4 teams that offer value in this market. 

While longshots like Oral Roberts and Murray State have shown outsiders can make it to Omaha, finding the next underdog is not an overly realistic wager since it will need to come through both the regionals and supers to get there. Those first two rounds, with smaller fields, are the best time to play these types of teams. 

Here are three power conference teams that may be on the outside of winning a national title but can certainly sneak into Omaha. 

Alabama (+310 make CWS), Mississippi (+310 make CWS) and Oregon (+390 make CWS). 

The Crimson Tide and Rebels right now are positioned to host a regional and both will be motivated to win the SEC tournament to improve seeding. A deep run in Hoover for either will reduce these current odds. 

It appears Nebraska (+280 make CWS) might get one of the final host locations. However, the home run-hitting Ducks have a deep pitching staff to back for a nearly 4/1 play. 

Ok, for those who can’t resist the chance to make a small wager on a longshot then look at Jacksonville State (+650 make CWS). Out of Conference USA, the Gamecocks have a pitching staff performing at a power conference level and the type of bunting small ball offense that could create problems for bigger programs unaccustomed to seeing it. 

One timer 

While it might sound chalky, UCLA at 6/1 is the best option for bettors looking to make their first college baseball futures wager and for those needing some coverage for previous bets. 

At this same juncture of the college basketball season, the favorite Michigan was priced around +325, so there is comparative value on the Bruins. From a handicapping standpoint, UCLA’s combination of offense and pitching is the type of versatility needed to deal with the changing weather and winds of Charles Schwab Field. 

If this UCLA team played in the SEC, its odds would be around +475, the price LSU and Arkansas were listed at exactly a year ago. 

Mound Visit 

I checked in with VSiN’s college baseball expert Jensen Lewis to inquire about his plays. 

Lewis, who sees plenty of games announcing for ESPN, has taken advantage of the odds this sport offers and built up a portfolio of varying prices that includes: Arkansas 25/1, Auburn 25/1, Virginia 45/1, USC 50/1 and Florida 45/1. 

He also swung for the fences with Ole Miss 60/1 and Oregon State 72/1 as part of NBA-centric parlays. 

Here are Lewis’ current recommendations.

North Carolina 11/1 (FanDuel)

Pick your poison atop the ACC with North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

For North Carolina, head coach Scott Forbes builds one of the deepest pitching staffs in the country year in and year out. It begins with the dynamic rotation duo of Jason DeCaro and Ryan Lynch, transitioning into a shutdown bullpen headlined by Caden Glauber and Walker McDuffie. The Heels are utterly dominating from start to finish, leading the ACC in ERA and ranking eighth nationally.

The lineup is polished and versatile, led by Owen Hull and Jake Shaffner. North Carolina may not light it up with the home run ball, but it may not matter with opponents fighting uphill to score against this staff.

A Top-8 national seed is firmly in their grasp and there is extra motivation after being upset in last year’s Chapel Hill Super Regional by Arizona.

Florida 45/1 (FanDuel)

As battle-tested and formidable as any team in the loaded SEC, the Gators are peaking at the perfect time. Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan is authoring another incredible season, accumulating 15 Quad-1 wins (2nd most in the nation) while wrapping up a strength of schedule that ranks second nationally. 

Frontline pitching aces Aidan King and Liam Peterson form arguably the best 1-2 starting duo in the country. That dynamic is a foundation for Omaha, where they can carve through opposing lineups in a hurry. Offensively, the lineup is rounding into form behind Blake Cyr, Kyle Jones and Brendan Lawson. The legend of Caden “Mini Cags” McDonald grows too, with a nod to former Gator two-way star and current Kansas City Royals phenom Jac Caglianone. He’s an imposing double-edged sword: dangerous at the plate and equally valuable in bulk relief out of the bullpen.

Florida is all but guaranteed to host a regional in Gainesville and firmly in the mix for a Top-8 national seed with a continued strong finish in SEC play. Their upside is enormous and remains wildly undervalued at 45/1 to win it all.

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