The baseball season is still in its infancy as far as the big leagues are concerned. But at the collegiate level, the season is just past its midpoint.
With NCAA tournament selections just a little over a month away, followers of the top programs are starting to think about their teams’ chances of reaching the promised land – the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Of course there’s a long way to go before then. Teams will have to negotiate four-team regionals and then best-of-three super regionals just to be among the final eight teams that will decide the national title. But that certainly doesn’t stop professional and amateur speculators alike from assessing possibilities.
Here’s a look at the current favorites to win the college baseball title, according to odds courtesy of DraftKings. If you’ve been keeping up with the coaches poll and other rankings up to this point, you will not be surprised to see a strong SEC presence at the top of the list.
Tennessee (+450)
The defending champion Volunteers lost their perch at No. 1 in the poll after losing a series to Texas A&M a couple weeks ago but still have the shortest odds among the SEC’s numerous candidates. It’s hard to find many weaknesses in this squad. Lefty ace Liam Doyle has been involved in two combined no-hitters for the Vols this season.
Arkansas (+500)
The Razorbacks, who also briefly held the top poll position, appear to have the combination of bats and arms necessary to reach Omaha. They lead the SEC in team batting average and are just behind Tennessee in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Arkansas still faces series ahead against Tennessee, Texas and LSU that will provide a good litmus test for its prospects.
LSU (+800)
The Tigers, who emerged as champions in Omaha in 2023, can never be counted out given their pedigree and consistently talented roster. But they were swept by Auburn in their most recent league series as their normally potent bats were silenced. We’ll see if that was just a blip or an ominous sign with series ahead against Tennessee and Arkansas.
Georgia (+1000)
The Bulldogs have, perhaps quietly, crept toward the top of the SEC standings. There’s nothing stealthy about their approach at the plate, however, as they’ve become the first team to mash 100 homers for the season, led by Robbie Burnett’s 16. That offense will be difficult for pitchers to contain in the postseason.
Texas (+1600)
It’s possible the betting public has yet to catch up with the Longhorns’ ascension to the head of the class in both the SEC standings and the polls. They’ve done it on the strength of their deep pitching staff that leads the conference in team ERA and is second nationally in fewest hits allowed per nine innings.
North Carolina (+1600)
Compared to some other teams in their neighborhood in the rankings, the Tar Heels don’t score a ton of runs. They lean heavily on a strong starting rotation, anchored by standouts Jake Knapp and Aidan Haugh, that has them in the upper tier of the ACC. Pitching plays a premium role in the postseason, giving the Tar Heels an advantage.
Clemson (+1800)
The Tigers are in the ACC hunt as well with an 11-4 mark in league play. Their offense is usually productive enough to hand the lead to closer Lucas Mahlstedt, who heads into the weekend tied for the national lead in saves with 12. Righthander Aidan Knaak anchors the starting rotation.
Oregon State (+2000)
With the rebirth of the Pac-12 still a couple of years away, the Beavers are independent this season, so it will be interesting to see how they are treated by the committee for seeding purposes. Among their most notable results among other west-coast contenders are series wins against Cal Poly and UC-Irvine as well as a road triumph at UCLA last weekend.
Odds for other college baseball teams
Vanderbilt (+2200)
Georgia Tech (+2200)
Alabama (+3500)
Wake Forest (+3500)
UC-Irvine (+3500)
Texas A&M (+3500)
Auburn (+4000)
Oregon (+4500)
Mississippi (+5000)
UCLA (+5000)