This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
College Baseball Betting Picks Tonight
Two great write-ups, two great handicaps, two tough-luck Friday night losses on the College Diamond. I'm upset too, but it happens. Process over results is the long term solution. We saw maybe the best game of the season in Arkansas-Oregon State. Hagen Smith notched 17 strikeouts over six-shutty. One of the best performances we've seen at any level.
Let's hit a rebound on Saturday.
Get ready for North Carolina sports betting to go live in the Tar Heel State on March 11. There will be several top-notch North Carolina betting promos when the state launches, and the Caesars North Carolina promo code is expected to be among them.
Iowa Hawkeyes (+154) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (-200)
Live from Jacksonville, FL is the Jax College Classic. We have a great matchup featuring a pair of top 25 squads that have realistic shots to be playing in late June. We're slated to see Marcus Morgan against Jack O'Connor. Do the Hawkeyes have enough to pull off a big upset?
Iowa likely won't be a team I'm backing a ton this year, but when Morgan is on the mound, it's definitely worth a look. The big dog on this staff is undoubtedly Brody Brecht and his 103 MPH fastball. Brecht is projected to be a top 6-12 pick in the draft this summer, possibly being the first arm off the board. But there's a case to be made that Morgan is the better overall pitcher right now.
Morgan looks to build on what could be a breakout season and is coming off a fantastic start featuring 5.2 scoreless innings with nine K's last week against Ball St. He'll see a UVA lineup that can flat out rake. Their team batting average of .361 creates nightmares for opposing hurlers, but Morgan has the stuff to silence this lineup long enough. He'll need to stay away from the free passes that plagued him a ton last year (51 walks in 65.1 innings).
UVA has a solid sophomore in O'Connor. He struggled in his first outing last week, yielding eight hits and three runs over four innings against Hofstra. We're likely going to see a bounce back from a guy whose freshman campaign saw him notch a 3.86 ERA. The Hawkeyes lineup is weak, but coming off a loss, it could be a bit of a trap spot for this heavily favored Cavalier squad.
I would expect a lower-scoring game, one that is probably a strong candidate for another under play. Iowa is 5-0 to the under this season. Ultimately, Morgan will be the difference, and a pitcher like him is not getting enough respect. For the early part of the year, we may see a trend of books undervaluing Morgan because of the flash and hype of Brecht. This price is too long to not take a stab at. And by the way, if this total is 11.5 or higher, I might look at going under with this squad once more.
Pick: Iowa ML +154
