Hello all, welcome back. We have made it to the CWS Finals. What a trip it has been and it will all be decided between LSU and Coastal Carolina this weekend. There are tons of storylines that make this an intriguing Championship series.

The entire country is pulling for Coastal, but I am over-exposed to LSU this weekend. I will be riding out a LSU +1200, LSU -105, and LSU -160 G1. I hit LSU -105 to win it after they went down to Arkansas on Thursday. Let’s dive into the game one matchup.

Coastal Carolina vs LSU

Cameron Flukey will go game one for Coastal. As I have typed before, I like Flukey. He does have the highest ERA among Coastal starters (it’s only a 3.29 ERA), but I think he has the best stuff. Flukey leads the team in strikeouts and is holding opponents to only a .211 batting average. He will be sitting 95-96 with good vertical break. However, he has given up 2+ ERs in his last three outings. Auburn put traffic on the bases but had trouble getting the big hit to knock them in. Coastal’s lineup has scored first in each of their games in Omaha. They are producing runs without power. I did not fact checkbut I believe they are the only team yet to hit a HR in Omaha. The Chants grind out ABs through the lineup. It will not be easy for these high-powered LSU arms.

Kade Anderson will get the ball for LSU. Anderson has arguably been the best setter in all of college baseball this season and is the potential #1 overall pick next month. Anderson put on a clinic last Saturday in Omaha against Arkansas. If he can even come close to mimicking that performance, I don’t see Coastal hitting him.. They are getting guys on base often then coming through with a big hit. Coastal leads the nation in HBP, but Anderson has only hit 3 guys the entire season. Even if Coastal finds a way to get to Anderson, Casan Evans will be available. Chase Shores has been coming in and throwing missiles. He will also be available. LSU’s Anthony Eyanson only threw 44 pitches vs UCLA before delay. He will likely start tomorrow, but has been used at the end of games before. Coastal’s HC Kevin Schnall said “It’s pretty simple. They have power on both sides of the ball. They have over 100 home runs. They have over 700 strikeouts. That combination is very dangerous.” LSU’s offense has flattened some games this season, but they have pieced it together this postseason. Jared Jones has pieced it together after the 0-5 platinum sombrero last Saturday. I believe LSU’s lineup is more complete against RHP. Curiel, Milam, Brown, etc.

Two stats that stood out to me was LSU only allowed 18/28 successful stolen bases in SEC play. The Tigers .643 sba% was the lowest in the conference. Coastal is 108/137 on stolen bases this season, which is a ridiculous number. Luis Hernandez does a good job behind the plate and the LSU arms seem to do a good job of being quick to the plate with runners on. The other was Coastal’s strikeout rate vs LHP. They rank towards the bottom in all of college baseball. Kade Anderson leads the country in strikeouts.

Numbers point to LSU’s favor, but Coastal is a team of destiny which has me sweating bricks. These guys are 100% bought in from top to bottom. They believe they can do it and that is all that matters. It’s a fun style of baseball to watch.

6/21 Bets

LSU -160