Crack a window and fire up ESPN+ — college baseball is really back.
NCAA baseball is a sport with tons of parity (usually concentrated in the SEC) and an arduous but brisk season. It takes a much different approach than betting pro baseball or other college sports like basketball and football.
My approach for several years has been to bet undervalued underdogs and short favorites, then pair heavier favorites together in two- or three-team moneyline parlays.
It moves your breakeven point up quite a bit, but the disparity in pitching staffs and overall team talent makes this an attainable winning clip.
I came up with 2 moneyline parlays and an underdog to bet, so let's dive into my NCAA baseball picks and college baseball parlays for Opening Day on Friday, Feb. 13.
Arkansas + West Virginia ML Parlay (+114)
- Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State (8 p.m. ET)
- West Virginia vs. Georgia Southern (6:30 p.m. ET)
Get ready to learn about Arkansas’ latest psychopath on the mound, junior righty Gabe Gaeckle.
As a sophomore, Gaeckle struck out 92 batters in 71 1/3 innings of work and, at his best, was flat-out unhittable. Granted, he struggled with inconsistency and now moves from a relief role to the Razorbacks' Friday night starter.
Oklahoma State’s offense is sure to improve as it returns some top hitters from injury last year.
But the real issue for the Pokes is questionable depth on the mound, which was made worse when projected Friday starter Hunter Watkins tore his ACL in the fall.
I expect Arkansas to take advantage of the thinned pitching corps while also leaning on Gaeckle’s high-end ability in Houston.
The other half of this play focuses on West Virginia, a team I’m looking to buy early.
Chase Meyer, a dominant righty who earned All-Big 12 honors last year and All-America honors this year, takes the mound against Georgia Southern. The Eagles get an experience boost, and WVU gets the dip thanks to plenty of turnover in its lineup.
But the Mountaineers have a massive pitching advantage, and I’ll take that at a discount, even on the road.
Pick: Arkansas + West Virginia ML Parlay (+114)
Ole Miss + Florida + Arkansas ML Parlay (+109)
- Ole Miss vs. Nevada (5 p.m. ET)
- Florida vs. UAB (6:30 p.m. ET)
- Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State (8 p.m. ET)
All of the same still applies to Arkansas, which is at the center of my parlay builds for Friday. Florida and Ole Miss are two teams that stand out as overwhelming favorites against inferior competition.
The Gators open their season at home against UAB, which D1Baseball picked to finish last in the American. Righty Mason Steele, a JUCO transfer, is interesting for the Blazers and gears up Friday for his first start with this squad.
But this is a massive step up in class. Florida’s lineup, which is potent from top to bottom, is bolstered by Columbia transfer Sam Miller, who hammered 16 home runs in 2025.
To close this parlay out, Ole Miss faces a Mountain West foe in Nevada.
The Wolf Pack are projected to finish atop the Mountain West, per D1Baseball, and they're an offense-oriented team.
Ole Miss, though unranked, is on the precipice of several top-25 rankings and will lean on Hunter Elliott for the Friday night start.
The Wolf Pack’s pitching staff is questionable to say the least, and they travel down to sea level — a real rarity for Mountain West teams — for this one.
I’ll side with the known commodity in Elliott against a real roulette wheel of a pitching staff that can allow dozens of runs when it falls apart.
Pick: Florida + Ole Miss + Arkansas ML Parlay (+109)
College Baseball Underdog Pick
TCU +120 vs. Vanderbilt
3 p.m. ET
I’m really in on TCU this coming season. They’re undervalued in futures markets, which tells me they’re undervalued against a quality opponent at the start of the season.
Ace Tommy LaPour takes the mound for the Horned Frogs against a Vanderbilt lineup that projects to struggle at the plate again. There’s not a ton of power in the lineup on either side, so you can take the under with this game, too.
If both teams are going to play small ball, then whoever generates the first home run (not a given playing in an MLB park at Globe Life Field) or whichever starter makes it the furthest in the game has the advantage.
It's a bit of a surprise that Connor Fennell got the nod for Vanderbilt, while Austin Nye — the projected Friday night starter — heads up Saturday’s contest. Fennell returns a formidable 6-1 record with a 2.53 ERA and 84 strikeouts against just 11 walks.
Ultimately, I anticipate TCU taking a more aggressive approach at the plate and Fennell throwing strikes. Look for the Frogs to attack early.
TCU wins and unders will have a strong correlation this year. Anything under 10 combined runs is also a buy from me.
Pick: TCU ML +120
