This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
College Baseball Picks Today
On my overall card, it was a profitable first day back at the office. However, two of the plays I posted for yesterday were duds. Believe me, I will be having a long talk with two of my dark horse darlings, Northeastern and K-State. Saturday is a new day, so let's hit the reset button.
At the time of this post, totals and run lines are not out, so the only plays will have to be moneyline bets.
Sports betting is set to go live in North Carolina in March and sports fans in the Tarheel State will be able to stay in the loop on the latest North Carolina betting promos available at the best North Carolina Sports Betting sites here at RotoWire.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (-120) @ Campbell Camels (-110)
This was the one play from yesterday that hit- and it was a rocking chair winner. The Gauchos dropped a 20-piece on the Humps on Friday afternoon. While Campbell was able to score eight runs, the game was well out of reach. Obviously, we can't expect an offensive performance like that from UCSB every time out, but it's nice to know the bats are alive and well. The same story for Game Two applies, and it's pitching. In a rather bizarre move, the Gauchos will go to their closer LHP Hudson Barrett, who actually made four starts last season.
Barrett's 2023 freshman campaign was butter. He was 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA, six saves, and a 82 K/32 BB ratio across 61 innings of work. It's likely we'll only see him for three or four innings max, but I have no doubt he can pick up right where Matt Ager left off in game one. He's not a flame thrower with a heater that only sits about 89-92 MPH, but it plays faster because of a good mix of his 80 MPH slider and 78 MPH change-up. His repertoire can create a good blend that keeps Campbell's lineup off-balance.
The Camels project transfer Zach Sabers to toe the rubber on Saturday. The truth is I'm having a hard time finding anything about Sabers - even his JUCO doesn't have pitching stats on him. What I do know is he didn't pitch last season because of an injury, but he was recruited to play outfield. It's enough to know he'll probably be rusty and unlikely last more than a few innings. I've already mentioned how unreliable this Campbell pitching is. It should still be a good opportunity for UCSB to rack up some more runs.
Maybe the book knows something I don't, but after a 20-8 victory UCSB is still only a -120 favorite. It's too good to ignore.
Pick: UCSB ML -120
Parlay: Tennessee Volunteers/Dallas Baptist Patriots/ Texas A&M Aggies +142
I know, parlays are for losers. College Baseball is one of the few sports where parlays are sometimes Plus EV plays. When you consider the early part of the season where the books are still learning about these teams, it's not a bad idea to pair up some of the wagons against the feeder fish.
The Vols had a close call with Texas Tech on Friday night, but dazzled on the mound behind stud sophomore AJ Russell and his double-digit punchie performance. The originally thought Friday guy, Drew Beam, is actually throwing on Saturday. Rusell on Friday and Beam on Saturday may be the course UT decides to go for the foreseeable future. Anyway. Drew Beam is a projected first-rounder for the 2024 class that has been the best Sunday guy in the sport for the last two seasons. He'll draw a subpar Oklahoma Sooners lineup on the second day of the Shriner's Classic. OU is an underwhelming team that only managed two runs against an average-at-best Oregon staff. Tennessee is the vastly superior team.
Dallas Baptist narrowly escaped on Friday against Southeast Missouri State, but they're still one of the best teams in America. Hopefully, they shook off the cobwebs and are ready to rack up their second consecutive win against SEMO. On the hill will be senior Jaron Deberry, who was a primary reliever in 2023. The 5.71 ERA is a bit alarming mainly because of the slightly high amount of walks (15) in only 34.2 innings. This is likely a case of Deberry being more of an opener likely going only two or three innings. Basically, we're counting on DBU being the better team against a weak program.
Texas A&M honed in on their inner Snoop Dogg and dropped it like it was hot on Friday. The Aggies pumped a 15 spot on McNeese in the opener, so I don't see this elite offense slowing down in game two. TAMU will give the ball to lefty Justin Lamkin on Saturday. Lamkin's cross-fire delivery helps that 92 MPH heater play up a bit. His 2023 was a hit or miss, but he was able to showcase a great presence against South Carolina's lineup in last year's SEC Conference Tournament when he dazzled for seven shutty where struck out nine and surrendered just one hit. In his case, the lefty just needs to be solid because his offense likely puts up another 10-piece.
Pick: Parlay +142
Don't forget to check out my podcast, Breaking Bet, where I dive into the best matchups of the College Baseball slate. Find it on YouTube and Spotify.
