While college baseball can’t compete with the notoriety of football and basketball at the collegiate level, it does offer bettors tremendous opportunities to hit it big in the futures market.
After nabbing Tennessee at 11-1 last spring, I’m targeting another SEC team to take it all the way at a lucrative price.
Let's dive into my college baseball futures and NCAA baseball picks for the 2025 College World Series.
College Baseball Futures, Picks
I’m going to buy low on the Bulldogs. Georgia was just swept by Texas down on the Forty Acres. Such is life in the loaded SEC. Texas has now climbed to second in the polls, but the battle for SEC supremacy is far from over.
Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas all reside inside the top 10 and have national title upside. And unlike the schedules enjoyed by Oregon State (8th) and UCLA (10th), there’s no coasting in the sport’s preeminent conference.
A big reason I’m a believer in Georgia long-term is its head coach. Wes Johnson was hired last season to help get the Bulldogs over the hump.
Georgia hasn’t made it to Omaha since 2008. That was also the last time it won the SEC. But there's serious optimism around the program with Johnson at the helm.
Johnson was a sought-after manager because of his experience as a pitching coach, most recently with the Minnesota Twins and LSU Tigers.
His work at the Major League level was astounding. When he arrived in Minnesota, the Twins' staff was a complete mess, ranking 22nd in team ERA. He helped them improve by leaps and bounds in Year 1 (22nd to ninth) before elevating them to elite status with a fourth-place ranking the following season.
This season, Georgia’s staff has been up and down, to put it lightly.
Kolten Smith, who led the Diamond Dawgs in wins and strikeouts a year ago, has dealt with back spasms and illness in recent weeks. They’ve since moved him to the bullpen, but there appears to be a long-term plan in place to return him to the starting rotation. He can’t get there soon enough.
Without Smith headlining the staff, Georgia’s starters have struggled. Big righty Leighton Finley has been knocked around in three of his four SEC starts. Veteran lefty Charlie Goldstein has suffered the same fate, allowing 10 runs in just 9 1/3 innings of work in SEC play.
But despite their ugly ERAs and xFIPs, both have flashed at times in the past month. Goldstein threw three quality innings (4Ks, 0 ER) against Auburn, and Finley quieted Florida’s bats in a 15-4 Georgia win in Gainesville.
This staff simply needs to elevate itself to above average for a title run to come into focus. The offense will do the rest of the work.
The Dawgs' lineup is fearsome. They lead the nation in bombs by a wide margin, and they’re top-six in slugging, scoring and on-base percentage.
Miami (OH) transfer Ryland Zaborowski has been a revelation as a cleanup hitter, driving in 49 runs while hitting .412 with 14 home runs. Robbie Burnett bats ahead of Zaborowski and is nearly matching his production across the board with 15 homers and 49 RBIs.
Eight batters with at least 15 starts this season are hitting over .300, which speaks to the challenge they’re presenting to opposing staffs.
The Dawgs draw top-ranked Arkansas at Foley Field this weekend before a road trip to Nashville next weekend to take on Vanderbilt.
The Arkansas series will have a massive impact on Georgia’s price in the market. If the Bulldogs take two out of three or sweep the Hogs, this number could be cut in half by next week. And while I have tremendous respect for Dave Van Horn, his Hogs are gettable away from Fayetteville.
I’m selling on Arkansas at the peak of its market value and counting on the Bulldog bats to come alive on their home diamond.
