Another week, another loaded college baseball Friday.
After perusing the board for today's games, I found two picks: Ole Miss vs. Tennessee in the SEC and USC vs. Nebraska in the Big Ten.
With that said, let's dive into my college baseball picks and NCAA baseball predictions for the games on Friday, April 17.
College Baseball Picks, Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network's Road to CFB is targeting from Friday's slate of 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Ole Miss vs Tennessee Pick
Since opening SEC play, Ole Miss is 4-1 on Fridays under the direction of starting pitcher Hunter Elliott.
Though the senior hasn’t quite shown up as a top ace in the country as anticipated, he has improved quite a bit throughout the season. Elliott went six innings against LSU last time out, allowing just two earned runs on eight hits.
The Rebels have rebounded nicely since getting swept by rival Mississippi State, beating Florida and sweeping LSU — plus picking up a sound 10-3 win over Southern Miss on Tuesday — to position themselves nicely for a postseason bid.
The road ahead is arduous, though, with Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Alabama to close the regular season.
Pitching is a serious strength for Ole Miss, which has allowed the 12th-lowest ERA as a team in the country (3.67).
Sophomore Walker Hooks, who comes in at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, has turned in a dominant season thus far, striking out 38 batters and walking only six through 30 innings.
This isn’t the scorching hot Tennessee offense we had under Tony Vitello. Josh Elander doesn’t have the Vols in the tank, but they hold a 100 wRC+ this season — perfectly average.
Instead, Tennessee leans into a strong pitching staff, as its .224 opponent batting average is the 14th-lowest in the country.
But if we’re comparing two adequate (not great) offenses, Ole Miss has the pitching edge throughout the rotation. Only Oregon State has a higher strikeout rate, and nobody has a better xFIP than the Rebels.
Pick: Ole Miss ML -105
| |
USC vs Nebraska Pick
I believe we’re getting a slight discount on USC this weekend after the Trojans were swept at No. 1 UCLA and lost back-to-back weeknight games to UCSB and Long Beach State this month.
USC recovered with a three-game sweep over Iowa at home and now hits the road to play Nebraska.
The Huskers are a respectable 28-9 and are 16-1 at home this season. They’re a legitimate postseason team. But they’re 6-6 against Quad 1 opponents and haven’t faced a Q1 foe at home yet this season.
USC ace Mason Edwards takes the mound fresh off a 16-strikeout performance against Iowa last Friday. Edwards allowed only three runs in his previous start against UCLA before the bullpen imploded for 12 total allowed runs. He hasn’t taken a loss yet this season.
Nebraska’s lineup features a host of players who would be considered tough outs, but it doesn’t boast a ton of power.
Senior Dylan Carey (.373 average with 10 homers) and junior Case Sanderson (.351, 30 walks drawn and 11 HPBs) anchor this impressive lineup.
Against a pitching staff like USC’s, which holds opponents to the lowest average in the country at .202, I don’t think this approach works well.
This line has moved in favor of USC early in the day, but I still see value in backing the Trojans, who sit in a pretty position to host a regional in May.
Pick: USC ML -150
