The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers face the LSU Tigers to kick off the championship series of the 2025 Men's College World Series. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
LSU enters as a -166 favorite on the moneyline, while Coastal Carolina comes in at +130 to pull off the upset. The run line, meanwhile, sits at LSU -1.5 (+105) and Coastal Carolina +1.5 (-135). Finally, the over/under sits at 8.5 (-115o / -115u).
Let's dive into our Coastal Carolina vs. LSU prediction and NCAA baseball picks for Game 1 of the College World Series finals on Saturday, June 21.
Coastal Carolina vs LSU Prediction
- Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Pick: F5 Under 4.5 (-110 | Play to -115)
My LSU vs. Coastal Carolina best bet is on the F5 Under 4.5, with the best line currently available at bet365.
Coastal Carolina vs LSU Odds
| Coastal Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -135 | 8.5 -115o / -115u | +130 |
| LSU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +105 | 8.5 -115o / -115u | -166 |
- Coastal Carolina vs LSU Moneyline: Coastal Carolina +130 · LSU -166
- Coastal Carolina vs LSU Over/Under: 8.5
- Coastal Carolina vs LSU Run Line: LSU -1.5 (+105) · Coastal Carolina +1.5 (-135)
Coastal Carolina vs LSU Carolina Pick, Best Bets
While the Tigers are the heavy favorites to come out on top, the Chanticleers had a much easier path and come into Game 1 with an extra day of rest.
That extra day of rest could come in handy late in the game, as all their top arms will be ready to go.
However, I'm going to focus on the first half of this game, as the starting pitching matchup is worth the price of admission.
Kade Anderson gets the ball for LSU. Anderson's stellar campaign this postseason has had him rocketing up draft boards, as the latest ESPN MLB mock draft has him going first overall.
Although Anderson's dominance is nothing new, as the lethal lefty pitched to a 3.19 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP while averaging over 13 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
He has shown no signs of slowing down with the nation's fourth-best xFIP (2.72) and fifth-best SIERA (1.60).
Anderson should feast against this Coastal lineup that is much more vulnerable against lefties, ranking 94th nationally in OPS, 83rd in wRC+, and 267th in strikeout rate.
On the other side of this matchup, the Chanticleers counter with their ace in Cameron Flukey.
This will be Flukey's first start in Omaha, as he delivered four innings of relief in Coastal's opening matchup, piggybacking off Riley Eikhoff.
Flukey matches up well to Anderson on paper as he boasts a 3.29 ERA with 1.00 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine.
He faces an LSU lineup that hasn't been at its best this postseason, hitting a combined .255 with a wRC+ of 84 over its last 10 ballgames. For some perspective, this LSU team had a wRC+ of nearly double their recent stretch this season and hit .297 as a club.
Flukey may be catching this LSU lineup at the right time, but the question remains as to how he'll perform against an elite lineup. The Sun Belt is not quite a power conference in baseball, so this is a big step up in competition.
Against Power 4 Conference teams, Flukey has a 5.91 ERA this season. However, both he and Anderson stand to benefit from the conditions at Charles Schwab Field tonight.
Unders have been solid at the College World Series this year, particularly during the 6 p.m. ET starts. The shadows in the early part of the game have proven to be deadly to hitters, like when Patrick Forbes and Dax Whitney combined for 16 strikeouts in the first four innings.
That's not all, as temperatures are rising across the country. The heat typically means the ball will travel farther, but the wind is also expected to increase, with gusts of 25 to 35 MPH blowing in.
All signs here point to this game being a pitcher's duel in the early going.
Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Pick: F5 Under 4.5 (-110 | Play to -115)
