Florida vs LSU Odds
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| +105 | 9.5 -125 / -105 | +1.5 -160 |
| LSU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -135 | 9.5 -125 / -105 | -1.5 +130 |
It all comes down to this.
One game will decide this year's NCAA baseball national champion, and both teams have shown why they deserve it. However, a star or an unsung hero may determine the season.
As always, we're looking for the best angle, and a closer look reveals it. Let's dive into the final matchup of the 2023 college baseball season.
Florida Gators
Florida evened up the series with authority, putting up 24 runs on 23 hits in Game 2. Six of those hits were homers, which set a College World Series record.
However, they may have wanted to save some runs for tonight because scoring could be difficult. While it's not confirmed, LSU will likely use Paul Skenes in some capacity tonight. Skenes will be on three days' rest after his dominant outing against Wake Forest on Thursday.
The Gators haven't seen Skenes, but based on what we've seen from them, their outlook is fairly bleak. While Florida gave its best effort to erase Game 1, we can't forget it struck out 20 times in that loss. Seventeen of them came against Ty Floyd, who overpowered the Gators with a mid- to upper-90s fastball.
Skenes has a fastball that sits at 99 miles per hour but also has a nasty arsenal of pitches behind it. He will make his presence felt however long he's out there.
Outside of Skenes, the Tigers will likely also hand the ball to Thatcher Hurd. Hurd is another power arm who has found success in the postseason. He's allowed just one earned run in each of his last two outings, and both of those outings have been three innings in length.
Runs may be hard to come by here, even for this revitalized Gators lineup.
LSU Tigers
While yesterday's box score looks ugly, the Tigers didn't have the worst day offensively. They took a 3-1 lead into the third and had a big chance to get back into the game in the bottom of the inning but left the bases loaded.
Stranding runners have been a theme for the Tigers in this series, as they left 17 runners on base in Game 1 and then blew multiple opportunities early in Game 2.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, LSU may continue that for the first part of tonight's matchup when it faces Jac Caglianone.
Cags finally woke up at the dish in yesterday's ball game, and that confidence may carry over to the hill with a national title on the line.
Caglianone worked through some command issues in his first College World Series start against TCU as he walked three and hit three batters, but he still limited the damage to just one run.
He has tremendous stuff and can dominate when his command is in check. His BAA of .186 is a testament to that, and he should be able to contain the Tigers' bats through the first five.
Florida vs LSU Betting Pick
While the narrative entering this series was that Florida had the pitching edge after the Tigers stole Game 1, the momentum in the series shifted dramatically.
Now the Tigers will get to throw Skenes with a chance to win a national championship. Even on three days' rest, we should expect him to be sharp.
On the other side, Caglianone has the opportunity to rise up and lead the Gators to victory both on the hill and at the plate. He should be able to keep his team in this game by limiting the power in LSU's lineup.
With both of these studs on the mound and each team having all hands on deck behind them, this decisive Game 3 should be tight and low-scoring.
Pick: Under 9 · F5 Under 5 (Available at bet365) |
