The first day of college baseball conference tournament season was a success, as Vanderbilt and Cal came through with dominant wins despite Kansas State falling just short.
Wednesday's slate is a whole new ballgame with the top seeds stepping on the diamond.
With that said, let's dive into our college baseball best bets for Wednesday's conference tournament games.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 1:30 p.m. | |
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
TCU vs. Oklahoma
This matchup is a rare sight for conference tournaments, as we have an ace against an ace. TCU will hand the ball to Payton Tolle, who has a 2.96 ERA and a 13.7 K/9 on the season.
He will be opposed by Oklahoma ace Braden Davis. Davis has electric stuff and boasts an 11.6 K/9 and a SIERA of 3.07.
While Tolle should be considered the A-side of this duel, Davis has the better matchup against a Horned Frogs lineup that was subpar this season.
These two pitchers should battle for at least half of this game, and they may even go deep, as the ballpark will help them significantly. Globe Life Field is a pitcher's park for these college teams. Plus, the roof is closed.
Yesterday, the highest number of runs scored in any Big 12 game was 11. Considering the pitching matchup, this total is absurdly high.
Pick: Under 13.5 (-115)
| | |
South Carolina vs. Arkansas
The Razorbacks really have nothing to prove this week, as they're likely locked into a top-eight seed. However, if they want to make their run through Omaha, they need to get their bats going.
Arkansas has hit just .266 with a wRC+ of 91 over their last 10 games. However, this is clearly just a slump because their wRC+ on the year comes in at 108.
They have an opportunity to get going offensively this afternoon against a South Carolina staff that will trot out Eli Jones. Jones had a rough time against conference play, posting a 5.53 ERA on the year.
He's struggling even more coming into this game with an ERA of 16.44 over his last three starts.
Ben Bybee, who was very solid as Arkansas' midweek guy this year, will oppose Jones. He has a tough assignment in front of him with the Gamecocks' lineup, but Bybee has great numbers himself.
Look for the Razorbacks to give Bybee and their arms plenty of support on their way to victory.
Pick: Arkansas ML -150
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Arizona vs. Washington
Arizona is flying high into this Pac-12 Tournament, having shocked everyone by winning the regular-season championship. While Oregon State dealt with a bevy of injuries, credit must be given to this Arizona club.
Tonight, the champs take on the worst team in the field, the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are 19-30 after last night's 12-0 loss to Cal.
Washington is completely overmatched again here.
The most significant discrepancy is at the dish, as Arizona's wRC+ sits at an above-average mark of 104, while Washington comes in well below average at 81.
Starters haven't been announced for this game yet, but the Wildcats' team ERA is a run and a half lower than the Huskies'.
Take Arizona to win this one handily.
