By Larry Rupp
The biggest baseball news of the past few weeks had to be the MLB lockout ending after a grueling 99 days of intense negotiations. However, it’d be foolish to overlook the start of another thrilling NCAA baseball season. Mississippi State will aim to repeat as champions, but the Bulldogs find themselves behind a couple of SEC powerhouses in the odds to win it all.
This year’s field is as wide open as it gets. Only one team can open as the favorites, though, and that would be Texas. Let’s take a deeper dive into what the Longhorns are all about and how the rest of the competitions sizes up. All odds are according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Texas Longhorns (+750)
The Longhorns fell short of reaching the College World Series finals last season by just one game and now find themselves on a rampage to start the year. In fact, Texas jumped out to a 11-0 start before finally dropping their first contest to UCLA on March 6. Head coach David Pierce’s team is filled with MLB-level talent on both sides of the ball, including the likes of starting pitcher Tristan Stevens and infielder Ivan Melendez.
Melendez was recently named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week and has knocked in a team-high 26 runs in 17 games. The redshirt junior out of El Paso’s power has been on full display. Meanwhile, Stevens has kept up the success he found in 2021 (11-3 record) by posting a miniscule 0.76 ERA through four starts. Simply put, the Longhorns are balanced look like the team to beat right now.
🚢 🚢 🚢 #HookEm | @ivanmelendez17_ pic.twitter.com/dRhS8MDCDc
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) March 13, 2022
Vanderbilt Commodores (+800)
The only other team within striking distance of Texas is Vanderbilt. Keep in mind the Commodores had a 1-0 lead in the CWS before Mississippi State won two in a row to earn the trophy. Head coach Timothy Corbin came as close as he could get to leading his team to what would’ve been the program’s third tournament win in the last eight years. He has another great opportunity with a roster chalk full of playmakers.
Outfielder Enrqieu Bradfield Jr. shocked opposing defenses by stealing 47 bases last year and he has already racked up 11 steals this time around (15 games). Although, it’s on the mound where Vanderbilt truly shines. The Commodores saw their two leading pitchers depart for the MLB last season (Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker), yet have still posted the country’s fifth-best team ERA across the first month of play. It’s going to be hard to compete with that.
It’s Time for New 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. 🔋#VandyBoys | #eVerythingU pic.twitter.com/aesmbvxNz6
— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) February 18, 2022
Rest of the Pack
Of course, a trendy pick outside the top two teams is going to be Mississippi State (+3500). The Bulldogs magical run to the Championship was no fluke and they return a number of talented players. Slugger Logan Tanner has picked up where he left off last season with 22 RBI through 18 games played.
One other team to keep an eye on is the North Carolina State Wolfpack with odds set at +1500. Infielder Tommy White is off to a blazing hot start to the season, smacking a whopping 9 home runs across 15 games so far. His ability to change the game with one swing is downright nasty.
The rest of the top 10 teams are filled out by Ole Miss (+1200), Stanford (+1500), Arkansas (+1200), Oregon State (+1400), Tennessee (+1000), LSU (+1800) and Notre Dame (+2000).
Picture Credit: Gamecock Central
