We are less than a week away from Selection Monday. College baseball teams are continuing to jockey for position in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, hoping that an ideal draw provides them a red carpet to the College World Series in Omaha.
While the official bracket remains in flux, the futures market is hot right now with teams rising and falling on a daily basis.
If you’re late to this market and missed out on juicy numbers like UCLA’s preseason odds of 12-1 or Auburn at 35-1, the good news is that there are still mispriced teams.
It’s important to diversify risk in a futures portfolio, which means it’s useful to have investments at multiple tiers.
Let’s start with a title favorite, shimmy down the board to a mid-range threat and close things out with a plucky underdog that is hitting as well as any team in the country.
Below are my College World Series picks and NCAA baseball futures ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
College World Series Picks, Futures
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+600)
I’m skipping past UCLA at +480 because I fear the lack of competition within the Big Ten will come back to bite it by the time it reaches the Supers Regionals next month.
The Bruins have played just six ranked opponents since mid-March. Georgia Tech, for perspective, has played 18 ranked teams in that same time frame.
Under the hood, the Yellow Jackets have it all. They lead the nation in slugging and scoring at 10.7 runs per game. This Ramblin’ Wreck lineup is unrelenting, regularly trotting out eight batters hitting .320 or better.
Vahn Lackey has made himself millions this season behind the dish. The Buster Posey Award Semifinalist has improved in every hitting metric under the sun this season and is projected to go third in the upcoming MLB Draft.
Jackson Blakely and Tate McKee headline their staff and bring different elements to the table.
Blakely attacks the zone, pitches to contact and has become a rock on Sundays for the Yellow Jackets. Tate is the strikeout artist of the staff. He has struck out 36 batters in his last four starts alone and has the look of a top-end ace capable of silencing bats in Omaha.
Locked into the second seed nationally, I would be shocked if Georgia Tech doesn’t make it to Omaha next month.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (+6000)
Last season, the Chants came up just short, falling to LSU in the College World Series finals.
After spending a chunk of the season inside the top 10, the market has cooled on Coastal after a rocky May, but that’s exactly why the Chants are interesting at this price.
I see a clear buy-low opportunity with Kevin Schnall’s ball club.
This group still has the goods to make a deep run, and it starts with Cameron Flukey. The 6-foot-6 power pitcher’s fastball tops out at 98 MPH, and he’s widely regarded as the second or third-best righty in his draft class.
He has worked his way back from a stress fracture in his rib cage that cost him 10 weeks, and has looked the part of an ace recently.
Darin Horn is also an elite stopper out of the bullpen and can slam the door on any lineup. If Horn keeps it up and Flukey regains his 2025 form, Coastal has the staff depth to pull out low-scoring wins next month.
Keep in mind, Coastal thrashed North Carolina, 12-2, just three weeks ago. This team is lying in the weeds.
Oklahoma State Cowboys (+12000)
The Pokes can really hit, full stop. They rank second in home runs, fifth in slugging, and they’re peaking at the right time.
Oklahoma State is 12-3 in its last 15 games, including a series win over nationally ranked Arizona State.
Lefty Kollin Ritchie has put 29 balls over the fence this year, but he’s just one of six Cowboys with 10 or more dingers this spring.
If the Cowboys do make it to Omaha, Ethan Lund will be the pitcher to make it happen. The sophomore strikeout artist is the definition of boom or bust. He has six starts with double-digit Ks and five starts with five or more walks.
Three of his off-speed pitches boast a Stuff+ rating of 100 or better. If he can locate and avoid command issues, he's the ace to take them to Omaha.
