Yesterday was our first losing day of the week, as Texas A&M and Arizona came up short. We’re now 4-4 on the week and are in a great spot to get back into the green with today’s college baseball conference tournament games.
So, with that said, let’s dive into today’s college baseball best bets.
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College Baseball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network’s Doug Ziefel is targeting from today’s slate of conference tournament games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ firstfullname=”Kentucky Wildcats” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/kend.png” secondfullname=”South Carolina Gamecocks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/sc.png”][/teammatchup] | 4 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#2″ firstfullname=”Oklahoma State Cowboys” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2022/09/oklahoma-state-cowboys-updated-2022-logo-100w-100h.png” secondfullname=”Texas Tech Red Raiders” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tt.png”][/teammatchup] | 5 p.m. | |
| [teammatchup link=”#3″ firstfullname=”Wake Forest Demon Deacons” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wf.png” secondfullname=”North Carolina Tar Heels” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/nc.png”][/teammatchup] | 7 p.m. | |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Check out more college baseball content on our NCAA Baseball page.
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[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Kentucky vs. South Carolina”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Kentucky ML -160″ league=”ncaaf” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/kend.png” awayname=”Kentucky Wildcats” awayslug=”kentucky-wildcats” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/sc.png” homename=”South Carolina Gamecocks” homeslug=”south-carolina-gamecocks” date=”Friday, May 24″ time=”4 p.m. ET” network=”SEC Network+” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]
The Gamecocks’ hot streak ended last night when they dropped a tight one to LSU.
Now, they must win to face the Tigers in a rematch in the semifinals. But it won’t be easy — the emotional roller coaster and pitcher usage have worn on them.
Not to mention, they have to get past a Kentucky team that beat Arkansas convincingly yesterday. The Razorbacks threw all their top arms in an effort to get them to work, and the Wildcats still put up nine runs.
Plus, Kentucky will hand the ball to its Saturday guy in Dominic Niman tonight. Niman was solid this season and much better than his 5.94 ERA suggest. His SIERA of 3.89 paints a more accurate picture of the Kentucky starter.
Overall, these tournaments are turning into a war of attrition, and the Gamecocks have done enough to get into the field of 64. So, this is the Wildcats’ game to lose, I don’t see South Carolina expending its pitching staff in this one.
Pick: Kentucky ML -160
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| [teammatchup link=”#1″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Kentucky Wildcats” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/kend.png” secondfullname=”South Carolina Gamecocks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/sc.png”][/teammatchup] | [teammatchup link=”#2″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Oklahoma State Cowboys” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2022/09/oklahoma-state-cowboys-updated-2022-logo-100w-100h.png” secondfullname=”Texas Tech Red Raiders” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tt.png”][/teammatchup] | [teammatchup link=”#3″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Wake Forest Demon Deacons” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wf.png” secondfullname=”North Carolina Tar Heels” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/nc.png”][/teammatchup] |
[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Oklahoma State ML -165″ league=”ncaaf” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2022/09/oklahoma-state-cowboys-updated-2022-logo-100w-100h.png” awayname=”Oklahoma State Cowboys” awayslug=”oklahoma-state-cowboys” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tt.png” homename=”Texas Tech Red Raiders” homeslug=”texas-tech-red-raiders” date=”Friday, May 24″ time=”5 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN+” bookname=”BetRivers” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/698811_BetRiver@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betrivers”][/gameheader]
We have ourselves a rematch here.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders on the first day of the Big 12 Tournament. However, the Red Raiders will be facing a tougher version of the Cowboys this afternoon.
Oklahoma State will have to win two games today if it wants to advance to the championship game tomorrow. Fortunately for the Pokes, they have played their cards right with their pitching, as they have both of their top two starters available.
So, we should see some combination of Brian Holiday and Sam Garcia. Either one gives the Cowboys a massive edge on the mound because the Red Raiders don’t have an available arm that can compete.
Back the Cowboys to move onto the semifinals against UCF.
Pick: Oklahoma State ML -165
| [teammatchup link=”#1″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Kentucky Wildcats” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/kend.png” secondfullname=”South Carolina Gamecocks” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/sc.png”][/teammatchup] | [teammatchup link=”#2″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Oklahoma State Cowboys” firstlogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2022/09/oklahoma-state-cowboys-updated-2022-logo-100w-100h.png” secondfullname=”Texas Tech Red Raiders” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/tt.png”][/teammatchup] | [teammatchup link=”#3″ shadow=”true” firstfullname=”Wake Forest Demon Deacons” firstlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wf.png” secondfullname=”North Carolina Tar Heels” secondlogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/nc.png”][/teammatchup] |
[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Wake Forest vs. North Carolina”][/subheader]
[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Wake Forest ML -155″ league=”ncaaf” awaylogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/wf.png” awayname=”Wake Forest Demon Deacons” awayslug=”wake-forest-demon-deacons” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/ncaaf/100/nc.png” homename=”North Carolina Tar Heels” homeslug=”north-carolina-tar-heels” date=”Friday, May 24″ time=”7 p.m. ET” network=”ACC Network” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]
Wake Forest came into this season as the overwhelming favorite to win it all. However, struggles from the back of the rotation and an injury to superstar Nick Kurtz derailed its odds pretty quickly.
But tonight, we’ll see why the Demon Deacons need to be feared, as Chase Burns will take the mound. Burns possesses arguably the most electric stuff in college baseball, striking out an absurd 49.6% of the batters he faced this season.
Although, one team that got to him a bit was North Carolina. Burns’ line from that outing is peculiar. He went 6.1 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits but also struck out 14.
You can bet Burns wants to even the score against the Tar Heels. Wake Forest also has the motivation to let him throw in this matchup, as a victory could put it in the hosting conversation.
As for run support, we’ve seen Charlotte’s ballpark play small this week. Plus, Tar Heels starter Shea Sprague is due to regress, as his FIP of 5.26 is much higher than his season ERA of 4.04.
Back Burns and the Deacs to come out on top.
Pick: Wake Forest ML -155
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