Stillwater Regional Odds
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Stillwater will host a mountain of talent this weekend, as Grand Canyon posted a rank of 26th in nonconference RPI and a 7-5 record against top-50 teams.
Oklahoma State earned hosting duties after trading victories with Texas in the Big 12 Tournament, sending its RPI into the top 10. However, there are questions about whether the Cowboys deserve to host after being swept by Texas Tech to close the season and taking an nonconference loss to Dallas Baptist.
Then comes Arkansas — a team that dropped from a sure-fire Super Regional host all the way to a 2-seed.
The Razorbacks ended the season without a whimper, losing four straight, including three losses to Alabama. Arkansas lost to Missouri State at home on May 3 in a game that could be a rematch on Saturday.
Connor Noland is expected to get the start Friday against Grand Canyon, as the projection is a short -110 against Antelopes ace Daniel Avitia. Freshman lefty Hagen Smith will also get a start in Stillwater, but he was torched for 10 earned runs in his final two starts of the season.
Neither Oklahoma State nor Arkansas look dominant. The Pokes' Justin Campbell is one of the best pitchers in the nation and is more than likely going to be saved for the Saturday matchup with Arkansas or Grand Canyon.
This is a great spot for a hungry, well-tested team like Grand Canyon to catch two premier programs that struggled down the stretch.
Grand Canyon projects as +110 underdogs to Arkansas and +130 dogs with Nick Hull facing Campbell. That’s more than enough to give value to the 3-seed in this Regional.
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Pick: Grand Canyon +350
