The College World Series field is now set, and it’s far from what experts predicted it would be just three weeks ago.
The SEC sent a record 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament, but only two remain in the field, and they’ll be facing off immediately at Charles Schwab Field.
Will the chaos continue in Omaha, or is it time to back a favorite? Let's dive into my NCAA baseball predictions and College World Series picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Baseball Predictions, Picks
- LSU to Win College World Series (+240)
- Coastal Carolina to Win College World Series (+600)
- LSU & Coastal Carolina to Make CWS Final (+550 · BetRivers)
LSU Tigers
+240 to Win CWS
I’ve been touting LSU for the better part of three months, so there’s no reason to step off the Bayou Bengal Express now.
Unlike some of the other teams that have made it to Omaha, LSU can win with starting pitching or ride its lineup to a high-scoring victory. The Tigers hit only .300 as a team, but they joined the 100 home run club over the weekend and have been hot as a pistol during their postseason run.
Jay Johnson’s team has scored 61 runs in six games this postseason, and they annihilated West Virginia in the Supers at Alex Box Stadium.
Skeptics could point to the lackluster pitching that LSU faced, but keep in mind this same lineup worked over Arkansas in its lone regular-season series against the Hogs. LSU took two out of three thanks to an offensive eruption that produced 22 runs in three days. The Tigers ran Gage Wood off by the second inning and crushed the U-of-A bullpen.
But as I mentioned earlier, LSU has the starting pitching to win a lower-scoring affair this week against the Razorbacks. Anthony Eyanson silenced the Hogs’ bats in his lone meeting against them earlier this season (6 IP, 0 ER, 11 Ks) and should get the ball to start this run in Omaha.
Backing him up is Kade Anderson, a late-rising MLB Draft prospect. The lefty’s breaking stuff has reached elite levels, evidenced by his 10.3 strikeouts per start dating back to mid-April.
Zac Cowan and Casan Evans have emerged as LSU’s best bullpen arms, capable as either long relievers or high-end stoppers if the situation calls for it.
Cowan finished the season with one of the highest strand rates in the SEC, and Evans is a former five-tool shortstop who has blossomed on the mound thanks to a split-fingered changeup that's missing bats left and right (1.4 K-per-IP).
This team is the total package and my top pick to win it all.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
+600 to Win CWS
On the other side, we have Coastal Carolina.
The Chanticleers have flown under the radar, been disrespected by the selection committee, and yet here they're in Omaha with an undefeated record in the NCAA Tournament.
They hung crooked numbers against Fairfield and East Carolina in the Regionals before shocking Auburn on its home diamond.
That Omaha-clinching victory over the Tigers came courtesy of pitchers Jacob Morrison and Hayden Johnson. The duo scattered eight hits and allowed just one run on The Plains.
Overall, the Chants have the starting pitching to get to the finish line in Omaha. This staff is simply tremendous, evidenced by the second-lowest ERA in Division I. Their three starters average a WHIP of 1.01, and the trio of Morrison, Riley Eikhoff and Cameron Flukey allowed just 0.38 home runs per start this season.
Their starters will need to be special because Coastal’s offensive numbers don’t align with the kind of teams that generally thrive at Charles Schwab Field. The power alleys reward teams that belt doubles, and Coastal enters 126th in slugging and 63rd in doubles this season.
But keep in mind, the Chants' lineup has been hot for a month straight. Dating back to Coastal's last regular-season series, this lineup has averaged nearly eight runs per game.
Drawing an Arizona staff that just gave up 29 runs in the Supers to North Carolina is ideal, and if Louisville awaits after that, all the better. The Cardinals roll out a host of tin cans and feature a staff ERA that barely broke the top 100 (5.38).
In terms of unit allocation, I would recommend one full unit on LSU, a half-unit on Coastal, and a quarter-unit on a Tiger-Chanticleer final.
