The NCAA baseball postseason is here.
It's conference-tournament week, and with 33 bids at-large bids on the line, there is a ton of baseball to be played.
These competitions are a bit tricky to forecast, as motivation plays a big factor. Some teams are fighting to get into the field of 64; some clubs are fighting for regional seeding; and, others are looking to rest their guys for next week.
That said, there are plenty of games to target and I'll break down a few of my favorites on the slate.
Kansas State vs. Texas Tech
Time: 5 p.m. ET
The eighth-ranked Red Raiders have one of the most potent lineups in the country behind star second baseman Jace Jung. They hit .299 as a team and slugged 82 homers, leading them to average nearly nine runs per game. Offense was the story when these two teams met in the regular season, as Texas Tech swept the series and outscored the Wildcats 27-9 in the process.
Kansas State has yet to announce a starter, but whoever it is won't be able to contain the Red Raiders. As a staff, the Wildcats had a 5.97 ERA and have allowed opposing batters to hit .273 this season.
Texas Tech should be a much heavier favorite, as its in line to pummel Kansas State again.
Pick: Texas Tech ML (-165)
Florida vs. Texas A&M
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
The Gators walked off the Gamecocks on Tuesday to earn a date with the fifth-ranked team in the country. The Aggies have been one of the hottest teams in the country entering tournament play. They went on an absolute tear in SEC play to end the season as they took series from Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas and Ole Miss to finish out the campaign.
However, the Gators are on quite a roll themselves, as with Tuesday’s victory, they have won 13 of their last 16 games.
Pitching matchups are hard to find in tournament play. However, the Aggies announced that Micah Dallas will be on the bump. Dallas has not been great this season. In 12 starts, he pitched to a 6.10 ERA and has a .300 BAA. While the Gators' starter is unknown at the time of writing this, their staff has been solid in the wake of Hunter Barco's injury.
The Florida bats are in line to chomp upDallas after a quiet game. Florida has been one of the most potent teams in the country, hitting 102 homers this season, while maintaining an excellent .273 team batting average.
Lastly, these teams are neck and neck with each other in RPI, which shows just how even they are. So, take Florida to bash its way past the Texas A&M.
Pick: Florida ML (-105)
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
The Sooners are another team that finished the season scorching hot. They'll enter the Big 12 tournament winners of their last four series, which includes Texas Tech, TCU and West Virginia.
Their end-of-season run was so impressive it vaulted them into the top 25, and they are also ranked 31st in RPI. Oklahoma's lineup was tremendous, as it slashed .298/.418/.460 as a team.
The pitching matchup is nothing to write home about, as the Sooners will give Carson Atwood the ball to make his first start of the season. Atwoood had his fair share of struggles, pitching to a 5.79 ERA and had a .293 BAA this season.
However, Jacob Watters has not been much better for the Mountaineers. Watters made 10 starts and has a 5.65 ERA. He also faced this Oklahoma team just 12 days ago, allowing five runs on six hits in just three innings.
This game may be a slugfest, but the Sooners have the artillery to win get past the Mountaineers.
Pick: Oklahoma ML (-160)
