It's the final weekend of the college baseball regular season, and the action gets started a day early.
I have four best bets for Thursday's NCAA baseball games, including picks for Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, Texas A&M vs. Georgia, Wake Forest vs. Louisville and Texas Tech vs. BYU.
Let's take a look at my college baseball best bets and NCAA baseball picks for the games on Thursday, May 15.
Note: While parlaying these picks isn't our official recommendation, we've put together an easy way to do so below.
College Baseball Picks for Thursday, May 15
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network's Doug Ziefel is targeting from today's slate of NCAA baseball games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Check out our NCAA Baseball page for more college baseball content. | ||
Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt Pick
I attempted to fade Kentucky last Friday, and while Oklahoma couldn't get the job done, that doesn't mean the Wildcats have earned any credit.
I'm now tasking Vanderbilt to beat up on an overrated Kentucky team.
The No. 9 Commodores have been tremendous on the hill, ranking 13th in team ERA while holding the nation's best xFIP and SIERA.
Starting pitcher Austin Nye is a big part of that success. He's pitched to a 2.04 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Nye is also not due for much regression, holding a 4.27 xFIP and 3.11 SIERA.
The same can't be said for Kentucky starter Nate Harris. Harris allows a ton of contact, which is bound to come back to bite him in this outing. His 3.20 ERA on the season is solid, but his xFIP of 5.67 and SIERA tell a much different story.
When it comes to offense, these lineups are fairly even, but Vandy is 25 spots better in wRC+ and has been much better over its last seven games.
Back the Commodores to shut down the Wildcats' bats and pull away in this one.
Pick: Vanderbilt -1.5 (-105)
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Texas A&M vs. Georgia Pick
The Aggies have had a roller coaster of a season. They entered the year as the favorite to win the College World Series but now enter the last weekend of the regular season unranked and just six games over .500.
Along the way, we've seen them take series from the likes of Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee, but they just got swept by Missouri last weekend.
It's clear this team plays to the level of their competition, and with No. 10 Georgia across from them, I'm expecting them to play up.
Texas A&M has a great chance to win every time Ryan Prager takes the mound. The lefty has had a solid campaign, pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP without much regression in sight.
However, the key to this matchup is on the other side. The Aggies' lineup has been dreadful, but they have an excellent opportunity to bounce back against Georgia's Charlie Goldstein.
Goldstein has been a shell of what we saw last year, as he enters this outing with a 6.67 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. While he likely won't be long for this one, the Aggies should build an early lead off him — and if Prager is on, they won't need much.
Take a flyer on one of the final times we see Prager in an Aggie uniform.
Pick: Texas A&M ML +180
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Wake Forest vs. Louisville Pick
With most series beginning Thursday instead of Friday, some teams opt to pitch off to keep their Friday night starters on regular rest.
Louisville is one of those teams opting to do so, and it gives Wake Forest a big advantage.
Both of these teams have been excellent offensively, ranking similarly in batting average, but the Demon Deacons have the slugging edge.
Wake Forest gets to face Louisville's Ethan Eberle, who enters with a 4.89 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a strikeout per nine rate of just 6.3. The amount of hard contact Eberle has surrendered leads to his xFIP of 6.77, suggesting a significant amount of looming regression.
On the other side, Blake Morningstar takes the ball for the Demon Deacons. Morningstar has been phenomenal, holding a 2.58 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and shows no signs of regression.
The Demon Deacons are the clear side to be on here.
Pick: Wake Forest ML -114
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Texas Tech vs. BYU Pick
Texas Tech rounds out our best bets tonight, as its price for this matchup against BYU is wrong. Yes, the Red Raiders have had a rough season, but they're the better side here in every facet.
Let's start on the mound, where the Red Raiders will hand the ball to ace Mac Heuer. Heuer has been average this season, pitching to a 4.86 ERA. However, he's not due for any regression, and the same can't be said for BYU starter Justis Reiser.
Reiser will open this game for the Cougars and is currently their only listed starter for the series. The sophomore left-hander hasn't been sharp, posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 19 games this season.
The arms following him are a big question mark as well. BYU has a bullpen ERA of 6.93 and has shown no signs of improving with a collective xFIP of 6.91.
The Red Raiders' lineup should also produce throughout this game. They have no lack of offense, ranking 93rd in batting average and 113th in OPS.
This matchup will be high scoring, but Texas Tech has the better pitching staff and should contain BYU enough to pull off the upset.
Pick: Texas Tech ML +100
