Georgia lived to fight another day with its second win over Texas in the College World Series, while West Virginia bashed its way to a rematch with North Carolina.
Will these teams stay hot and force more elimination games?
Let’s dive into my College World Series picks and NCAA baseball predictions for Wednesday, June 17, to find out.
College World Series Picks, Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network's Doug Ziefel is targeting from Wednesday's slate of College World Series 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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. | ||
North Carolina vs West Virginia Pick
Here's to the third time being the charm, as I'm fading the North Carolina Tar Heels once again.
In each game, UNC has been on the ropes, playing games that have been tightly contested for the majority of the game before it has broken out offensively in the later innings.
Well, in this afternoon's rematch against the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Heels are set to be at a disadvantage early. While UNC has a rest advantage, it's starting Folger Boaz, who comes in with a 7.03 ERA on the season.
However, West Virginia will turn to its ace, Chansen Cole, who's been tremendous down the stretch. He's motivated to pitch with his back against the wall.
While I like the Mountaineers to pull off the upset and live to play another day, the bigger edge lies in the first five.
Pick: West Virginia F5 ML (+120)
| |
Oklahoma vs Georgia Pick
Yesterday, we had the totals for each game right where we wanted them. However, with Troy being shut out for the first time since May 2, we fell one run short of a sweep.
The wind trend we saw yesterday is projected to be similar for today's slate. The afternoon game is set to be a big boost, but the winds are set to die down during the nightcap, which makes this total overinflated.
This matchup lacks the solid starting pitching matchup we have above, but with Dylan Vigue eating up a ton of innings yesterday for Georgia, the Bulldogs find themselves in a great spot bullpen-wise.
The Dawgs are likely only going to be down their closer, Justin Byrd. Byrd is a big part of a Georgia bullpen that holds a collective ERA of 4.36 and a WHIP of 1.27.
The Sooners' bullpen is right in line with a collective ERA of 5.10 and a WHIP of 1.24.
The mixing and matching in this game, along with weakening winds, will make the ballpark play big and keep this game under the total.
Pick: Under 14.5 (-115 · Play to 12.5)
