Omaha, Neb. — The College World Series rolls on with two more games on Monday — and they should be fun ones.
The Florida Gators and NC State Wolfpack kick off the action on the losers' side of Bracket 2, while the Texas A&M Aggies and Kentucky Wildcats will look to move to 2-0 in Omaha.
What's even more intriguing is that no team is a favorite of more than -150 at most sportsbooks, meaning the trend of close games is expected to continue.
It's worth noting that favorites have gone 6-0 in the College World Series so far. That's something to monitor as Florida sits around -135 and Texas A&M comes in at -130.
I just happen to be on both favorites today with Jac Caglianone set to take the mound for Florida and Ryan Prager getting the nod for A&M.
With that said, let's dive into the College World Series odds and make some picks and predictions. Below are my best bets for both NCAA baseball games on Monday, June 17.
College Baseball Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network senior writer Collin Wilson is targeting from Monday's slate of College World Series 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Check out more College World Series coverage on our NCAA Baseball page. | ||
Florida vs. NC State
The losers' side of Bracket 2 will kick off Monday with two teams that had a tough path to Monday afternoon.
NC State took a one-run ninth-inning lead against Kentucky, only to submit to the Wildcats in the bottom of the 10th. Starting pitcher Sam Highfill was masterful for the Wolfpack, allowing three earned runs on 116 pitches in seven innings.
Florida, meanwhile, suffered a similar fate, firing back at Texas A&M with a chance to take the lead in extra innings.
The injury to Aggies outfielder Braden Montgomery moved teammate Jace LaViolette to right field. That defensive move was the difference in the game, as the 6-foot-6 LaViolette snagged a home-run ball from Cade Kurland that would have paid dividends for the Gators.
“Obviously a huge play,” Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Jace played right field for us all last year. Then with Braden going down, he had to move to right since whatever the second game the Super Regional was. … I'm glad he's [6-foot-6] and can reach up there. I don't think [Travis] Chestnut would have probably been able to get it.”
HOME RUN ROBBERY❗️❗️❗️#MCWS#SCTop10 x 🎥 ESPN / @AggieBaseballpic.twitter.com/9JOCLc40uX
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 16, 2024
NC State is expected to roll with Dom Fritton on the mound in an attempt to save the season against Florida. He last pitched in the Athens Super Regional, allowing seven earned runs against the Bulldogs and tying his worst start of the season.
Although top relievers Jacob Dudan and Derrick Smith made appearances for NC State, the duo threw less than 50 pitches combined and should be available again on Monday.
Florida is expected to send two-way star Jac Caglianone to the mound with intentions of saving the season. The soon-to-be first-round MLB Draft pick has given up four earned runs over five innings in his two starts this postseason.
The Gators kept the pen fresh in the late-night loss to Texas A&M, limiting Fisher Jameson to just over 50 pitches and Brandon Neely to 23.
Florida vs NC State
Betting Picks & Prediction
If Caglianone takes the mound, Florida projects as a -144 favorite, fetching a total of 12.8.
Winds continue to be a major factor at Charles Schwab Field, as numerous home runs have been caught at the warning track. The wind projects at 20 mph sustained with over 30 mph gusts blowing straight in from right-center.
Pick: Florida ML -135 or Better
| |
Texas A&M vs. Kentucky
An all-SEC matchup is tabbed for the College World Series winners' bracket on Monday night.
Yet, Texas A&M and Kentucky didn't play each other in the regular season or during the conference tournament in Hoover.
"They can do everything — hit the ball out of the ballpark, run, bunt, put a lot of pressure on you, throw strikes, play defense," Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "But we're not bad. We'll show up."
The Wildcats snagged a victory in extra innings from NC State, while defensive heroics from Jace LaViolette on a near home run from Cade Kurland moved the Aggies one step closer to a national title.
“There really wasn't that much wind going, but he just hit it to the wrong spot,” Schlossnagle said. “But Cade is a great hitter and stayed on a good pitch. We were playing no doubles, so Jace was pretty far back there. But I thought it was a homer.”
Jace LaViolette stand 6’6 and may have taken Florida’s Bracket 2 chances at the wall@AggieBaseball | #MCWSpic.twitter.com/W82tf5ILLD
— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) June 16, 2024
Schlossnagle rolled the dice in Game 1, sending Justin Lamkin to the mound while reserving the staff ace for this game. Ryan Prager is now expected to get the start for the Aggies after proving to be one of the best anchors in the nation despite recent troubles against Oregon.
Texas A&M vs Kentucky
Betting Picks & Prediction
Kentucky will have the option of sending Mason Moore or Dominic Niman to the mound, but both project as underdogs of -275 against Prager.
Wind and rain are forecasted for this game, with the heaviest wind gusts having the potential to reach more than 50 mph.
All pitching combinations fetch a projected total of 12.1.
This game's main avenue for runs is defensive errors. Both the Aggies and Wildcats rank top-35 nationally in fielding percentage, and with an ace on the mound in Prager, this should be one of the lower-scoring games in Omaha.
Pick: Texas A&M ML -130 (Play to -150) · Under 9.5
