With the NCAA Tournament in the rearview mirror and spring football practices starting to wrap up, college baseball is ready to take center stage in the sports calendar.
With that said, I have three futures I'm eyeing, including picks for Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Oregon State.
Let's dive into my college baseball futures and NCAA baseball picks for this stretch of the season.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
+3500 · Caesars
Let's talk about a team that's been turning heads and might just host a Regional soon: Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets can be found as high as +3500 at Caesars with some books hanging as low as +2200.
This team has been cruising through the ACC, and even though they dropped a series to Clemson, they outscored the Tigers by 13 runs over those games, so there's definitely a silver lining.
Now, this isn't a squad that's going to blow you away with home runs. Instead, they're all about doubles, as they lead the nation in that department. They also rank second in batting average.
Tech might not be topping the charts for home runs per nine innings, sitting at 24th, but it has plenty of strengths. Oral Roberts played a similar brand of baseball in 2023 and paid it off with a trip to the College World Series.
Georgia Tech is the kind of team that thrives in spacious fields, and it knows how to play to its strengths. It'll slap doubles against the wall all day long in a park that lets them, and Charles Schwab Field in Omaha is one of those.
Looking at the Yellow Jackets' schedule, they have a series against Miami that shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Then, they're facing some solid teams like Virginia and Louisville, but luckily, those games are at home. They'll wrap up the season playing Duke on the road, which might be the toughest challenge they'll face.
Out of all those teams, Duke's probably the only one that might steal a series from them on its own turf. But with a strong performance, Georgia Tech could be in line to host a Regional. If they dominate these series and make a good showing in the ACC, there's a real shot at securing a Super Regional seed.
Now, to be clear, am I saying Georgia Tech is going to win the national title? Not quite. Realistically, it looks like an SEC team will take that honor. But the reason we're talking about odds like 35-1 is strategic.
At some point during the Regionals or Super Regionals, we'll likely have the opportunity to get on the other side of those bets and recover the initial investment.
So, it's all about playing the numbers game here, not chasing favorites like Arkansas at 5-1, because there’s not much wiggle room with those odds. Our focus is more on those long-shot bets like Georgia Tech, where we can work the odds to our advantage.
Texas A&M Aggies
+225 to Make College World Series
Texas A&M is a team worth keeping an eye on to make a trip to Omaha. The Aggies have won seven straight since their series victory at Tennessee.
Jace LaViolette has been on fire lately, crushing it at the plate in a way that's comparable to former Florida Gator Jac Caglianone last season. And in Omaha last year, he showed off his big frame and power, so this isn’t just a fluke.
When it comes to pitching, Texas A&M is also stepping up its game. I'm keeping tabs on the xFIP numbers for Ryan Prager and Justin Lamkin, which are showing a downward trend. This indicates that they're not just getting by on luck — their pitching is genuinely improving.
Plus, the bullpen is healthier, and their hitters are heating up as well.
Texas A&M definitely has the potential to go all the way and snag the national title. Of course, there's a lot at play with new coaching, how it'll handle the pressures of the postseason and other variables.
But right now, the Aggies are getting everything together.
Oregon State Beavers
+3100 · FanDuel
I don't love the idea of backing a team outside of the SEC and ACC, but Oregon State was the last non-SEC or ACC to break through for a national title in 2007.
Right now, the SEC is a powerhouse, with every team but Mississippi State ranking in the top 22 in terms of schedule strength.
Well, Oregon State's remaining schedule ranks 75th in difficulty, which positions it well to host a Super Regional out West. UC Irvine isn't far behind, but now's a good time to start paying attention to the Beavers.
They're playing it smart by choosing their own path instead of playing a Mountain West schedule. Instead, they've decided to face off against top teams on the West Coast, which explains why their RPI sits pretty at eighth.
