College Baseball Odds, Futures: Clemson, Iowa Among 4 College World Series Long-Shot Picks

Welcome to the 2024 college baseball season, as College World Series futures have officially been posted at a few books.

The Southeastern Conference remains the dominant brand in the sport, evidenced by the 2023 finale between LSU and Florida. The SEC has populated the championship round in every season but one since 2007, filling 18 of the previous 30 spots in the past 15 years.

When taking a future on Division 1 baseball, the SEC is where to look for value.

However, oddsmakers were quick to zap any value in the futures market on SEC teams with a clear path to Omaha.

Arkansas, LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M are the biggest names to win a national title, but none of those teams have odds better than 20-1 to take over Omaha.

The best bet when it comes to college baseball futures is to scoop mispriced numbers on teams that have a direct path to Regionals and a possibility of hosting a Super Regional.

While the focus on the in-season futures market will look at the top half of the SEC, here are a few longshot futures to consider before the season begins.

A team on the rise might fulfill expectations in 2024.

After a number of consecutive Regionals under head coach Monte Lee, the Tigers saw a decline in the post-pandemic season of 2021. Clemson would move on from Lee to start the 2023 season, hiring Erik Bakich from Michigan.

Bakich nearly pulled off the improbable in 2019, leading a Big Ten team to Omaha and coming within a game of capturing the national championship.

Fast forward to 2023, and Bakich has already led Clemson to the No. 4 overall national seed and a spot as a Regional host. The Tigers' 2023 season ended in excruciating fashion, losing to the preseason No. 1 overall team in Tennessee.

Clemson returns with a potent pitching staff, as seven of its eight relievers return. Bakich dipped into his recruiting footprint, pulling freshman arms from the state of Michigan in Drew Titsworth and Justin LeGuernic.

The Tigers will field two of the best outfielders in the ACC in center fielder Cam Cannarella and Will Taylor. Cannarella finished second in the conference in hits per game, while Taylor finished fourth in the ACC in on-base percentage.

Clemson is one of many conference teams knocking on the door of Wake Forest.

With odds at 30-1 or greater, find the best number on a team destined to host a Regional once again.

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The Hawkeyes finished with 44 wins in 2023, including a 12-4 victory over eventual national champion LSU in February.

Head coach Rick Heller enters his 11th season with Iowa as a prime contender to win the Big Ten, which would wash away a Terre Haute Regional loss to Indiana State.

Heller looked to the transfer portal to fill the bullpen, but Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan will be two of the best pitchers in the conference.

Brecht started a Big Ten-high 36 games, leading the nation in hits allowed per nine innings. Morgan, meanwhile, finished the season with the second-best ERA in the Big Ten spanning over 15 starts.

The batting lineup returns nearly intact from a season ago, as the havoc Iowa causes on the basepaths will drive its production on the scoreboard.

Outfielder Sam Petersen returns after a 20-steal campaign but will be rivaled by fellow outfielders Kyle Huckstorf and Connor Hennings in the stolen base department.

Teams without a solid option at catcher will be challenged by a Hawkeyes team that will sacrifice bunt and swipe bags — which Iowa fans affectionately refer to as "Hellerball" — throughout conference play.

Can Troy win the College World Series? More than likely not. But Caesars first listed odds on Troy at 2000-1, a number that deserves consideration for a team that should win the Sun Belt.

The Trojans made the Tuscaloosa Regional a season ago, losing in two straight against Alabama and Boston College.

Outfielder Shane Lewis returns after mashing 27 home runs and recording 77 RBIs, and head coach Skylar Meade said his hitting improved even more over the fall.

Outfielder Kole Myers will also come back after a 20-plus steal year, looking to increase his home run total over 20 this season.

The strength of the Troy pitching staff comes from strikeouts, as the Trojans ranked 11th nationally a season ago at 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

The pitching staff still has to determine the rotation order as games begin, but the bullpen is solid. Reliever Noah Manning led the Sun Belt with 11 saves after making 34 pitching appearances a season ago.

Troy can still be found well over 200-1 at some shops, making this a great buy opportunity on a team that should finish as a 2-seed in Regionals.

Hell hath no fury like a baseball program scorned by the NCAA selection committee.

Head coach Pete Hughes tallied 35 wins and nearly took home a Big 12 title in 2023, finishing with an RPI of 53. That number was not good enough for the committee, which ultimately left the Wildcats out of the postseason.

The Kansas State roster has responded, as many key players from a season ago have returned for a run in the Big 12.

The offense returns Brady Day, who declined a deal with the Atlanta Braves. The second baseman finished as the second-toughest hitter to strike out in the Big 12 and owned the third-best on-base rate of all conference players.

The pitching staff will be anchored by lanky southpaw Owen Boerema, who finished with 95 strikeouts a season ago.

TCU is expected to dominate this conference, but Kansas State is a clear contender with listed odds to win the conference at 15-1 at Caesars.

As a clear candidate to host a Regional with an outside shot at a top-eight national seed, Kansas State is worth a buy through 60-1.

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