College World Series: Best bets for Coastal Carolina vs Arizona, Louisville vs Oregon St
College World Series: Best bets for Coastal Carolina vs Arizona, Louisville vs Oregon St
The College World Series kicks off in Omaha on Friday. The action begins with Coastal Carolina facing Arizona at 1 p.m. CT. Later, Oregon State takes on Louisville at 6 p.m. CT. Play in Bracket 2 won't start until Saturday, where UCLA faces Murray State and LSU meets Arkansas.
Arkansas and LSU are considered the best two teams in the field. Both are stacked with MLB talent. Both squads are battle-tested, too, after playing through the grind of an SEC schedule. It would be a major upset if UCLA or Murray State found a way to win Bracket 2.
Coastal Carolina and Oregon State make up the next tier. The Chanticleers and Beavers are seen as serious contenders in Bracket 1, while Arizona and Louisville are long shots.
Baseball is a weird game, especially in the postseason. It's a fool's game to make predictions, but that's what we're going to do today.
Here are your best bets for Friday's action at the College World Series.
Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona U9 -115
Depending on where you look, you might see 8.5 as the total for this one. DraftKings still has it at nine runs with -115 odds. Charles Schwab can be hitter or pitcher friendly depending on the weather. The forecast on Friday isn't calling for a major breeze, so I don't expect the ball to be jumping out of the park.
Coastal Carolina's pitching staff is one of the best in the country. It's a bad matchup for an Arizona lineup that ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in runs per game. However, Arizona has the pitching and defense to compete. I don't see a lot of runs scored in this one.
Pick: Under 9, -115
Oregon State -188 vs. Louisville
Oregon State's moneyline sits between -185 and -200 as of Friday morning. You can find -188 at DraftKings.
The Beavers will start freshman pitcher Dax Whitney. Whitney's stuff is electric with 111 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. He's posted double-digit K's in his last two NCAA Tournament outings. With Whitney on the mound, I like Oregon State's chances vs. Louisville.
Pick: Oregon State moneyline, -188
Oregon State -1.5 vs. Louisville
Along with Whitney on the mound, I feel good about Oregon State's lineup in this one. I have questions about Louisville's pitching staff, and the Beavers' lineup has MLB-level talent. Even if Louisville starter Patrick Forbes has a strong outing, Oregon State will get to the Louisville bullpen. You can find Oregon State -1.5 for +100 at BetMGM.
Pick: Oregon State -1.5, +100
For those unfamiliar with the College World Series, here's a refresher on how the tournament works.
How many teams are in the College World Series?
Eight teams compete in the College World Series. Before reaching Omaha, teams must win a four-team double-elimination regional and a best-of-three super regional.
Is the College World Series single elimination?
No. The College World Series has two double-elimination brackets, much like the setup used in the regional round. A single loss is not the end of the world.
How is the College World Series champion crowned?
The winners of each four-team bracket meet in the College World Series final, which is a best-of-three series. A team could lose twice and still win it all. A loss in the opening bracket doesn't carry over to the final.
2025 College World Series teams
Here are the eight teams set to compete in Omaha:
Arkansas
LSU
UCLA
Murray State
Coastal Carolina
Arizona
Oregon State
Louisville
2025 College World Series bracket
Bracket 1
Bracket 1 features Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State, and Louisville. CCU vs. Arizona and Oregon State vs. Louisville are the first-round games.
Bracket 2
Bracket 2 features UCLA, Murray State, Arkansas, and LSU. The first round games are UCLA vs. Murray State and LSU vs. Arkansas.
2025 College World Series Schedule
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alcaraz, Sabalenka in action on day one at sizzling Wimbledon
World number one Aryna Sabalenka with an ice pack on her head during a training session at Wimbledon (HENRY NICHOLLS) Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a third straight Wimbledon crown on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka seeks to banish a season of Grand Slam final misery as temperatures soared on the opening day of the championships. With London sweltering in a summer heatwave, Alcaraz will aim to maintain his red-hot form in the opening match on Centre Court against 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. Advertisement Having vanquished seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an elite group at the All England Club. The 22-year-old has won 29 of his 32 Tour-level matches on grass, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against world number one Jannik Sinner in the last 16 in 2022. Alcaraz is bidding to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. "I really want to lift the trophy. I'm not thinking about how many players have done it, winning three Wimbledons in a row," said the Spaniard, who beat Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month. Advertisement "I'm just thinking that I want to prepare myself in the best way possible. Obviously, I feel a lot of confidence right now." Former England captain David Beckham will watch the action from the royal box on Centre Court, alongside ex-England manager Gareth Southgate. - Mercury soars - Temperatures on Monday are expected to climb to at least 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). According to the Met Office, it is provisionally the hottest start to Wimbledon on record, with 29.7 Celsius being recorded nearby. The tournament has a heat rule that it is ready to activate to safeguard the health of the players. Advertisement The rule allows a 10-minute break to be taken between the second and third sets for women's matches and between the third and fourth sets for men's matches, when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius. "The obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the Tour so for us Brits here at the championships it feels very hot," said Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton. "We do have the heat rule available to us which again is well used on the tour so we will be taking heat stress monitor readings." Sabalenka will be determined to keep her cool when the women's top seed starts her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One. Advertisement The 27-year-old Belarusian is a three-time Grand Slam champion but has suffered agonising three-set defeats in this year's Australian Open and French Open finals. Sabalenka was beaten by Madison Keys in Melbourne and Coco Gauff in Paris, with the latter defeat triggering a frustrated outburst from the loser. She was heavily criticised for claiming the Roland Garros loss was due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance. "I didn't really want to offend her (Gauff). I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions overcame me. I just completely lost it," Sabalenka said. Advertisement "It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. "I really hope it will never happen again." Elsewhere on Monday, German third seed Alexander Zverev faces France's Arthur Rinderknech, while Italian women's fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in last year's final, opens against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. There are 23 British players in the men's and women's singles, the most since 1984, with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter among those in action on Monday. Advertisement A significant change this year will be the absence of line judges after a switch to electronic line calling. "It will be a little bit different and I think it'll take us a little bit of time to get used to that but we felt very much that it was time to move on," said Bolton. With thousands of people in the queue for tickets on Monday the All England Club is advising people not to travel. smg/jw/pi
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about Pius Suter's market, Canucks' approach to free agency
The Vancouver Canucks spent Sunday filling out their roster for development camp, and regrouping after the NHL Draft. The club was thrilled with its 2025 draft class, as most teams are in the immediate aftermath. In particular, the Canucks were happy with the outcome from their process. They're confident that first-round pick Braeden Cootes is a special person, with an opportunity to be an organizational fixture for years to come. There is also excitement about second-round selection Aleksei Medvedev, the London Knights netminder who goaltending scout Ian Clark insisted on throughout the scouting process. Advertisement As the attention turns to the upcoming free-agent frenzy, there is some frustration that the Canucks have been unable to meaningfully tend to their significant short-term needs at centre to this point. Vancouver acquired winger Evander Kane last week to add some heaviness and skill to the forward group, but there's still a gaping hole in the middle of the top six. The Canucks had an understanding dating back two months that the unrestricted free agent market was unlikely to yield a high-impact forward. Vancouver's hockey operations leadership had also understood that attempting to fill short-term needs on the trade market would represent improving their team 'the hard way.' Aside from a trio of trades for John Gibson, Charlie Coyle and Noah Dobson, there was surprisingly little major player movement over the weekend. Most of the acquisitions fell into the Jordan Spence, Declan Chisholm or Justin Sourdif tier of minor deals. Like the leaguewide cash crunch in the fall of 2020, or the cap crunch conditions that teams operated in throughout the flat cap era, we're now seeing a talent crunch gum up the NHL marketplace. Simply put, there is more available cap space in the system at the moment than there are high-quality unrestricted free agent players on whom to spend it. Teams have enough cap flexibility that, to this point, there's limited external pressure to proactively fix roster problems or to trade NHL-level contributors for cap-neutral asset capital like draft picks or prospects. And given how much market desirability is impacting contractual outcomes, every team is scrambling to identify the players open to being part of their organization. Everyone is terrified of falling too deep into a Chicago or San Jose-like scorched-earth rebuild. As I worked the phones on Sunday to try to get a sense of where the Canucks stood ahead of July 1, the word of the day from the organization was 'caution.' Advertisement The Canucks need to be careful in navigating their way through what remains of the so-called silly season, and balancing their short-term goals with the long-term reality of a franchise that's both in transition and under significant pressure to build momentum next season. Some of the players who will be available could help Vancouver now, but they're unlikely to be especially efficient additions. As much as the Canucks want to improve their roster and try to win now, there's an understanding that overpaying for short-term upgrades could inhibit their ability to make a more impactful move down the line, when the leverage is greater, and the options more impactful. This is the time of year, after all, when mistakes get made. Conscious of that, and the significant pressure the organization is feeling to improve, the Canucks are going to spend the next 48 hours or so trying to be selective. It's fair to be skeptical. It's been well over a decade, after all, since anybody won a cent betting on the Canucks being selective with the long view in mind. Whether they're intent on managing expectations locally, or more actively recalibrating their short-term goals in light of their options and the sky high prices in free agency and on the trade market, that's the balance the Canucks are attempting to judiciously weigh as the clock ticks down toward July 1. Every time I ask my industry contacts about pending unrestricted free agent Pius Suter and what his market value could look like, the number gets a little bit higher. It's like the opposite of Jose Canseco's 40 time. What was $3.2 million ('he could double his salary') at the deadline, rather quickly became '$4 million or more' after Suter's 'ka-ching' goal-scoring run late in the season. Now, over the past two weeks, the conversation has morphed from 'maybe $4.5 million with term,' climbing all the way to between $4.5 million and $5 million, which is the figure an executive on Sunday evening suggested that Suter could realistically land on the open market. And that was before the new Morgan Geekie comparable. Advertisement Clearly, the market has broken heavily in Suter's favour. Not only have centres continued to demand a significant premium on the trade market and at the draft table, but most of the older pivots with name-brand value — Matt Duchene, Claude Giroux, John Tavares, Brock Nelson and Sam Bennett — have already extended with their teams. Outside of Mikael Granlund, Suter is probably the most credible top-six centre option still unsigned as July 1 approaches. It's also worth noting that Suter scored more goals this season (25) than Granlund did (22). The Canucks have remained in contact with Suter's camp throughout this process, but the two sides haven't been grinding away to find common ground. Given Vancouver's inability to land a significant centre upgrade on the trade market during draft weekend, however, Monday is shaping up to be a key day in determining whether or not Suter will ultimately make it to market this week. For the Canucks, it's last call on Suter, and I wouldn't be surprised if Vancouver took one final run at retaining the versatile, productive forward, with an understanding that he's surely gone if he makes it to market on Tuesday. The Canucks have always been big fans of Suter as a player and person. He's earned a significant raise and is coming off a career year. The conversation really centres on that. Was it just a career year, a one-off, or a new level of performance that Suter is likely to be able to sustain? How the Canucks ultimately decide to answer that question will determine their willingness to meet Suter's price at the 11th hour. If I were to handicap this one, it seems more likely than not that Suter will go to market. The door remains open just a crack, however, and I do get the sense that Vancouver will engage Suter's camp one last time on Monday before the door shuts for good. Advertisement By 2 p.m. PT, the Canucks will have to tender qualifying offers to their 10 pending restricted free agents to maintain their right of first refusal. We've already reported that goaltender Nikita Tolopilo will receive a qualifying offer, and there's a variety of higher-profile restricted players like Aatu Räty, Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains who are obvious tap-ins to be qualified before the deadline. However, there are a couple of organizational depth players that the Canucks have wrestled with whether or not to qualify ahead of the deadline. I think we can take that as an indication that at least some of the 10 pending RFAs won't be qualified. Players who aren't qualified will become UFAs when the market opens on Tuesday. There's a tricky balance that the Canucks are going to try to maintain in the days ahead. This is a club that wants to improve short term, of course, they're the Canucks. I have begun to get the sense, though, in talking through offseason planning with team sources, that there's also an increasing internal recognition that this team is in transition. A realization that, perhaps, exercising some patience may be required. That recognition is in obvious tension with the fact that there is a lot of pressure, both in the Vancouver market and structurally on the Canucks, to find a way to take a big swing and connect on landing a difference-maker to improve this team. To excite this market. To convince Quinn Hughes to stay. But the Canucks want to be mindful of not doing something just to do something. Especially if that 'something' costs them an amount or an asset that they would view as reckless. Based on what team sources told The Athletic on Sunday, there appear to be moves that the Canucks could make to improve this team short-term. However, the most worthwhile among those options could cost them a key asset like their 2026 first-round pick, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander or defender Elias Pettersson. Advertisement That's not a price that Vancouver has been willing to pay. I even get the sense that it's a price the Canucks are unlikely to be willing to pay, period, unless the return is genuinely transformative. We'll have to see if the significant pressure and desire to improve wins out over the rational plan to be disciplined. For what it's worth, the Canucks do expect the trade market to shake loose somewhat in the days and weeks ahead, especially as some teams move money around to facilitate major acquisitions. That won't necessarily apply to every team, but management appears to be keeping close tabs on these types of situations in case a scenario presents itself, one that would permit the Canucks to land a short-term, contributing player at a more manageable acquisition price. In the event, which has been more probable than not for weeks, that both Suter and Brock Boeser walk as unrestricted free agents on Tuesday, I'm hearing that the Canucks will be shopping for a centre when the market opens. The Canucks would need to send cap commitments out the door to really get into the bidding on Granlund. While I believe that Vancouver would have some interest in the player, all things being equal, breaking the bank to add him doesn't seem to be an especially probable outcome. Even with a player like Jack Roslovic, a slick-skating, right-handed forward who can play centre and who the Canucks have kicked the tires on in the past, I expect that the market will price out their interest. The Canucks, it seems, are prepared to roll with Filip Chytil and Räty as top-nine centres to open next season, but I'd also look for the team to be linked to names like Radek Faksa. Even assuming Vancouver is able to stay disciplined and focus on the long view, the Canucks will still look to strengthen down the middle this week. They just may be looking somewhat further down their lineup than they had hoped to. (Photo of Pius Suter: Simon Fearn / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Alcaraz, Sabalenka in action on day one at sizzling Wimbledon
World number one Aryna Sabalenka with an ice pack on her head during a training session at Wimbledon (HENRY NICHOLLS) Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a third straight Wimbledon crown on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka seeks to banish a season of Grand Slam final misery as temperatures soared on the opening day of the championships. With London sweltering in a summer heatwave, Alcaraz will aim to maintain his red-hot form in the opening match on Centre Court against 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. Advertisement Having vanquished seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an elite group at the All England Club. The 22-year-old has won 29 of his 32 Tour-level matches on grass, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against world number one Jannik Sinner in the last 16 in 2022. Alcaraz is bidding to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. "I really want to lift the trophy. I'm not thinking about how many players have done it, winning three Wimbledons in a row," said the Spaniard, who beat Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month. Advertisement "I'm just thinking that I want to prepare myself in the best way possible. Obviously, I feel a lot of confidence right now." Former England captain David Beckham will watch the action from the royal box on Centre Court, alongside ex-England manager Gareth Southgate. - Mercury soars - Temperatures on Monday are expected to climb to at least 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). According to the Met Office, it is provisionally the hottest start to Wimbledon on record, with 29.7 Celsius being recorded nearby. The tournament has a heat rule that it is ready to activate to safeguard the health of the players. Advertisement The rule allows a 10-minute break to be taken between the second and third sets for women's matches and between the third and fourth sets for men's matches, when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius. "The obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the Tour so for us Brits here at the championships it feels very hot," said Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton. "We do have the heat rule available to us which again is well used on the tour so we will be taking heat stress monitor readings." Sabalenka will be determined to keep her cool when the women's top seed starts her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One. Advertisement The 27-year-old Belarusian is a three-time Grand Slam champion but has suffered agonising three-set defeats in this year's Australian Open and French Open finals. Sabalenka was beaten by Madison Keys in Melbourne and Coco Gauff in Paris, with the latter defeat triggering a frustrated outburst from the loser. She was heavily criticised for claiming the Roland Garros loss was due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance. "I didn't really want to offend her (Gauff). I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions overcame me. I just completely lost it," Sabalenka said. Advertisement "It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. "I really hope it will never happen again." Elsewhere on Monday, German third seed Alexander Zverev faces France's Arthur Rinderknech, while Italian women's fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in last year's final, opens against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. There are 23 British players in the men's and women's singles, the most since 1984, with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter among those in action on Monday. Advertisement A significant change this year will be the absence of line judges after a switch to electronic line calling. "It will be a little bit different and I think it'll take us a little bit of time to get used to that but we felt very much that it was time to move on," said Bolton. With thousands of people in the queue for tickets on Monday the All England Club is advising people not to travel. smg/jw/pi
