We have another loaded slate of games on the schedule. Let’s have a weekend.

Highlighted Matchups

• LSU @ Oklahoma (LSU 1-0)
• Duke @ North Carolina (UNC 1-0)
• Ole Miss @ Kentucky
• Texas A&M @ Tennessee
• Vanderbilt @ Florida
• Alabama @ Auburn
• Kansas State @ Oklahoma State
• Western Kentucky @ Dallas Baptist
• Georgia @ Texas – ⭐️
• Wake Forest @ Florida State
• Oregon @ Michigan
• UC Irvine @ Oregon State
• Clemson @ California
• Georgia Tech @ Stanford
• Arizona @ Arizona State
• Virginia @ NC State
• Kansas @ UCF
• USC Upstate @ High Point
• South Carolina @ Miss State
• UNCG @ ETSU

4/3 Recap

1-0 (+1u)

Write Ups

Texas A&M @ Tennessee

This was highlighted as a potential series of the year during the preseason, but unfortunately that is not the case. The Aggies will travel to Knoxville with hopes create momentum and perhaps revive their season. It will be a tough task. I really do not see A&M scoring the necessary amount of runs needed to beat Tennessee at home. Ryan Prager is still one of the best starters in the SEC, but I just don’t see it happening. Liam Doyle and Marcus Phillips will handle business against this A&M lineup. I would be surprised with anything less than a Tennessee sweep.

Vanderbilt @ Florida

Both teams need to win this series. Florida has had a horrific start to SEC with a 1-8 record. All 3 of their opponents are top 10 teams, but that is no excuse. The good news for the Gators is that Liam Peterson returns to the mound this weekend. He will be a huge addition to a depleted pitching staff, but will it be enough? Aiden King will likely move back to Saturday’s. The Freshman has done well, but the staff falls off massively after that. Their bullpen has been atrocious. Vanderbilt’s pitching continues to be their strength. JD Thompson and Cody Bowker have been excellent as the headliners of this rotation. Vandy was swept last week against Arkansas, but missed opportunities to win games 2 and 3. Vandy has not won in Gainesville since 2014 and have notoriously struggled on the road in SEC play. The Gators have a lot to play for here. Lean Florida game one then likely Vandy in the final 2.

Alabama @ Auburn

Who doesn’t love a little Iron Bowl action? Auburn hosts Alabama this weekend in a matchup between two ranked teams. The Tide are 5-0 on the road this season including a series sweep @ Texas A&M. Auburn has lost 5 of their last 6. They were swept in Athens last weekend and failed to show up for the midweek against UAB. However with the atmosphere of this rivalry, I am sure Auburn will be ready to go on Friday Night. Alabama’s Riley Quick returns to his Saturday slot in the rotation and is a huge addition. I lean Alabama here. I believe they’re simply the better overall team. Auburn has some great wins, but most of them were due to clutch heroics in tight games.

Western Kentucky @ Dallas Baptist

A huge mid-major series this weekend as the top two CUSA teams face off in Dallas. Statistically, WKU has been one of the most balanced teams in the country. Jack Bennett has been great on Friday’s and will be a CUSA pitcher of the year candidate. OF Ryan Wideman is a top talent and has been climbing the draft boards. However, DBU has an excellent 1/2 punch on the mound in Micah Bucknam and James Ellwanger. After that, their pitching staff has been leaky. It helps that their lineup is one of the deepest in the country. It features a ton of power and the ball absolutely flies at their ballpark. DBU has managed to drop both Sunday games in CUSA play to MTSU and NMSU so WKU will be in good position if they can take game 1 or 2. This series will likely be much closer than the books are predicting.

Georgia @ Texas

A top 5 matchup will be taking place in Austin with Georgia coming to town to take on Texas. Georgia’s bats have raked all season, owning the highest wRC+ and wOBA in the country. The Dawgs have also have seemed to manage around their pitching struggles. Charlie Goldstein has not had his stuff this season. He did not allow a run last weekend, but allowed 4 walks in just 3 innings of work. Kolten Smith came in and struck out 8 across 5 innings of work to hold Auburn off the board. The pitching staff has improved greatly over the last few weeks and will be needed in order for the Dawgs to pull this win out on the road. For Texas, Friday night ace Jared Spencer will get the ball Spencer looks unhittable to begin the season, but has allowed 4+ ER in each SEC start so far. Texas also received some unfortunate news this week as their top hitter and projected first rounder, Max Belyeu, will be out for the season. I lean Georgia here as I believe they have too much offense. Update: Wes Johnson said in an interview that he expects the wind to be pushing in all weekend. When the wind is pushing in at the Disch, it can be very difficult to hit the ball out.

UC Irvine @ Oregon State

The two highest ranked West Coast program matchup this weekend in a great non conference series. I believe this series has huge implications, as the winner will be in a driver’s seat to be selected as a host come tourney time. UC Irvine’s offense is elite. The Anteaters support the 5th highest wRC+ in the entire country. Their pitching has been problematic at times, but Irvine has found a way to out slug their opponents most of the time. Oregon State also features an elite lineup, but they have lacked the consistency that Irvine’s lineup has provided. Nelson Keljo returns to the bump on Friday and will be a big addition to the Beaver staff. Oregon State is 9-0 in Corvallis this season. I believe the Beavers have something to prove this weekend after dropping a series to a bad Nebraska team. Lean Oregon State to bounce back and earn a huge series win at home.

Arizona @ Arizona State

The Wildcats and Sun Devils will square off this weekend in a ranked matchup with Big 12 implications. The Sun Devils have absolutely raked the baseball in B12 play, owning a .363 average and averaging over 10 runs per game. Arizona’s hot streak has ended as the Wildcats have struggled in their last 4, including 7 errors in their last 3 games. It hurts that potential first rounder, Brendan Summerhill, has been out with a fractured hand. He will not be back for this weekend, but the defense has been Zona’s recent problem. Ben Jacobs will go on Friday Night for the Sun Devils while Colin McKinley will go for Zona. Both pitchers have shown to have strong upside, and will likely give their club a chance to win. I lean Arizona if they can manage to clean up the defensive errors.

4/4 Bets

I hopped on a few openers on B365 that I had off. I have listed them with what I would play them to.

Will add updates.

Alabama -135 ❌

Kansas State +200 B365 (+115) ❌

Baylor +125 B365 (-165) ❌

Oregon -135 B365 (-200) ✅

Clemson -155 ✅

Mississippi State +125 B365 (-150) ❌

Tennessee + LSU -116 ✅

Cincinnati +130 ✅

Arizona / Arizona State u12.5 -115 ❌

Penn State -108 ✅

UC San Diego / Cal Poly u12.5 -110 ❌

Creighton -125 ❌

West Virginia + Troy -106 ✅

FIU +130 ❌

Southern Miss + Florida State -118 ❌

Western Kentucky +160 ✅

UCLA + Charlotte -112 ✅

8-9 (-1.28u)