2021 College World Series Futures: Arkansas & Vanderbilt Baseball Lead Field to Win in Omaha

College baseball continues to be one of the biggest areas of growth in terms of gambling exposure. For those not interested in the NBA playoffs, the road to Omaha is the most exciting watch in the month of June. The 2019 season did not disappoint, as Vanderbilt and Michigan went to a decisive Game 3 with the Commodores becoming national champions.

Due to the pandemic, college baseball was called off after teams started conference play in 2020. Players like Reid Detmers of Louisville, Spencer Torkelson of Arizona State and Asa Lacy of Texas A&M all entered MLB without another chance of making it to Omaha.

WynnBET was the first operator to publish odds to win the College World Series. If you are new to the gambling space, there are plenty of helpful tips needed before laying a wager on futures and individual games. First, defense absolutely matters in college baseball. A routine 6-4-3 double play in MLB is not so routine in the college ranks.  Secondly, an ace pitcher can lead a team from the regionals to the World Series.

The last item to know is that the SEC dominates college baseball. The upcoming MLB Draft is expected to have 11 SEC players taken in the top-25 pool of college players. Since 2009, 12 of the 22 teams in the best-of-three championship round have been from the SEC.

The format for college baseball may be a bit of a mystery to new gamblers interested in this space. Regionals start on June 4 and will consist of 64 teams sectioned into pods of four at 16 different sites. A double-elimination tournament between the four teams decides who moves on to the Super Regionals. The 'Supers' are eight different locations where two teams play a best two of three. Those final eight head to Omaha.

The best way to handicap futures with two months remaining is to find value in teams that can be a part of the competition in Omaha. Here is a look at the odds per WynnBET.

Arkansas +400

This is the part of the article where I mention that I am an alumni, and I attend plenty of regular season games at Baum Stadium. Just because I am a Razorback homer does not mean I am ignorant of the price. At +400 there needs to be a ton of insurance that team will not only get to Omaha, but play in the finals of their regional bracket. It is impossible to ignore the Razorbacks' Division I statistics. Dave Van Horn's club is second in home runs per game, ninth in slugging and 14th in field percentage.

Robert Moore, son of Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore, is an absolute star that will be on an MLB diamond soon. The one issue remaining for Arkansas is an elite pitching staff. Starter Peyton Pallette throws gas but ranks 80th in strikeouts per nine. Lefthander Patrick Wicklander averages just a strikeout per inning. While the Razorbacks can hit bombs and play excellent defense, it's the starting staff that keeps us off this price tag.

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Vanderbilt +600

Is now the time to buy on the Commodores? Despite having the best one-two combination of starters with Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt has lost four of its past 10 games. There are some difficult series coming up against Alabama and Ole Miss. The perfect time to buy the future is before the season finale against a Kentucky team that is 57th in RPI.

The Commodores have the 11th best strikeout-to-walk ratio in college baseball along with a rank of eighth in offensive slugging. While Vanderbilt starting pitching is light years beyond Arkansas, the field is not. Tim Corbin's roster is 58th in fielding percentage, a huge contrast to the national title team from 2019 that was 10th in Division I. Vanderbilt is an Omaha team, but waiting for the right moment on the schedule to grab 8/1 is suggested.

East Carolina +3000

If there is a team due to make their its trip to the College World Series, its the Pirates. Since 1999, East Carolina has made the NCAA Tournament in all but five years but have lost five Super Regionals in those 16 appearances. The 2021 squad may be head coach Cliff Godwin's best chance to get this program to Omaha.

The Pirates fit the profile of a team worth of taking a future on. Gavin Williams is ninth in the nation in strikeouts per nine while the defense is 19th in fielding percentage. The offense may have enough pop to compete for the national championship with a current rank of 23rd in slugging percentage. There should be no slowing down East Carolina with the remaining schedule in the American Conference, making +3000 a buy now.

Charlotte +7500

If you're looking for a longshot that is hitting on all cylinders, then the 49ers are the baseball team to add to the portfolio. Charlotte is led by two pitchers who expect their name to be called early in the MLB draft. Starter Bryce McGowan supports a K/9 rate over 12 and has thrown at least 109 pitches in his last five starts. His workhorse mentality is complimented with closer Christian Lothes. The southpaw has given up just seven earned runs in 25.1 innings with 39 strikeouts on the season.

In Conference USA play Old Dominion is a team that is getting plenty of mention, but the 49ers took three of four from the Monarchs in a recent series. Charlotte ranks 20th nationally in fielding percentage and 18th in slugging. The Carolinas have a lengthy history of producing great college baseball from Coastal Carolina to Campbell. Charlotte will be a team to watch in the Regionals, and a +7500 price tag is certainly worth a buy.