The college baseball postseason rolls on with more conference tournament action on Wednesday.
This week, teams will scramble to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament or lock in a top-16 seed as a Regional host.
Conference tournaments are set up for chaos, and we’re already seeing that in upsets like Missouri over Ole Miss in the SEC and Washington over Ohio State in the Big Ten.
With that said, let's take a look at my NCAA baseball picks and college baseball predictions for the games on Wednesday, May 20.
NCAA 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 Wednesday'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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 2 p.m. | |
  | 5:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. | ||
Florida + Auburn ML Parlay
- Vanderbilt vs. Florida (2 p.m. · SEC Network)
- LSU vs. Auburn (9 p.m. ET · SEC Network)
After dropping two out of three to rival Georgia in the regular-season finale, Auburn wants to leave no doubt that it belongs as a Regional host.
The Tigers still rank inside the top seven, but a swift exit to an inferior LSU team might cast doubt on their resume — especially if a competing Arkansas or Florida makes a run at the SEC Tournament title.
Auburn stands inside the top five for xFIP nationally, headlined by a wealth of bullpen options like freshman LJ Cormier and sophomore Jackson Sanders (who we may see start today).
The Tigers are also among the most complete teams in the nation, touting a 106 wRC+ at the plate.
Their opponent, LSU, brings in a paltry 5-19 record against Quad 1 teams and a 7-13 record away from Alex Box Stadium.
Unlike LSU, Florida has played exceptionally well away from home, boasting a 14-5 true road record and a 15-5 record away from Gainesville.
For most of the season, the Gators struggled to put the bat on a ball. But since the start of May, UF has scored nine-plus runs in seven of its nine games, including all in three games of a sweep over LSU to close the season.
Florida's opponent, Vanderbilt, continues its program slide, carrying a 14-16 SEC record this season.
The Commodores closed the season with a sweep of South Carolina and a 1-2 series loss at Missouri, and carry just a 6-16 record against Quad 1 opponents. Perhaps most concerning, Vanderbilt is 7-16 away from Nashville this season.
So long as the weather cooperates in Hoover, we’ll get both of these games in before the late slate.
Pick: Florida + Auburn ML Parlay (+117)
| |
Tennessee vs Arkansas Pick
Arkansas pitcher Tate McGuire takes the mound for his sixth start of the season against a Tennessee team coming off an 11-6 win over South Carolina.
He looks to fare better than the Gamecocks, who surrendered eight runs, but only five earned, by the fourth inning. McGuire likely just gets things warmed up, as he hasn’t completed four innings of work since February.
Though just the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament, Arkansas has been a profitable bet over the last month. The Hogs haven’t lost a series since April 18 despite erratic pitching.
Tennessee’s pitching has been terrific this year, ranking 14th in xFIP (4.92), but the bats haven’t always been there; the Vols’ weekend starters are just a combined 16-11 despite putting up really solid numbers.
Lefty Evan Blanco gets the start for Game 2. Blanco has held opponents to a .221 average and struck out 94 hitters in 79 innings.
He's susceptible to some stinkers (six earned runs vs. Kentucky and nine runs allowed at Vanderbilt), but Blanco’s best stuff is among the most dynamic in the country.
With two talented (if not inconsistent) pitchers on the mound, I’ll lean on the hotter bats, which are with Arkansas. The winner of this game advances to face Texas.
Pick: Arkansas ML -130
