America’s most exciting baseball league returns this weekend. No, not spring training– I’m talking college baseball. It’s the first sign that spring is on its way as SEC juggernauts reload, taking aim at Omaha. The Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers headline College World Series odds boards this season after both coming up short in 2022.
Get your ESPN+ accounts ready and crack some windows this weekend. College baseball is back.
College World Series 2023 Odds
Place a CWS future bet by clicking on odds in the table below. Numbers accurate as of Feb. 16 and may change.
Tennessee | Bet now +500 | Bet now +600 | Bet now +800 |
LSU | Bet now +750 | Bet now +500 | Bet now +500 |
Stanford | Bet now +1000 | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +1200 |
Ole Miss | Bet now +1200 | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +1500 |
Vanderbilt | Bet now +1400 | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +2000 |
Florida | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1100 | Bet now +1500 |
Texas A&M | Bet now +1800 | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1800 |
Arkansas | Bet now +2200 | Bet now +1500 | Bet now +1300 |
Wake Forest | Bet now +2500 | Bet now +1400 | Bet now +2500 |
Oklahoma State | Bet now +2500 | Bet now +2200 | Bet now +2200 |
Oregon State | Bet now +2500 | Bet now +2900 | Bet now +3000 |
Texas | Bet now +3000 | Bet now +2900 | Bet now +2000 |
North Carolina | Bet now +3000 | Bet now +2900 | Bet now +3500 |
Louisville | Bet now +3500 | Bet now +2200 | Bet now +2500 |
Virginia | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +2900 | Bet now +3000 |
UCLA | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +3000 |
Oklahoma | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +3500 |
Notre Dame | Bet now +4000 | Bet now +6000 | Bet now +10000 |
TCU | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +5000 |
Auburn | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +4000 |
Arizona | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +5000 | Bet now +5000 |
Mississippi State | Bet now +6000 | Bet now +3400 | Bet now +2500 |
Virginia Tech | Bet now +6000 | Bet now +6000 | Bet now +4000 |
SEC Giants Back On Top
After a 50-win season last year, Tennessee (+800) returns the best pitching duo in the nation in Chase Dollander and Chase Burns. The All-American selections aren’t the only staples in the pitching staff– RHP Drew Beam was named second-team by D1 Baseball this preseason. That loaded of a lineup led the Vols to a 2.51 team ERA, best by a wide margin in the nation despite the grind of an SEC schedule.
On the other side, Tennessee also led the nation in home runs (158, 21 more than second). They grew to odds-on favorites for most of the season to take home the 2022 championship before an upstart Notre Dame upended them in the Super Regionals.
LSU (+750) received unanimous No. 1 rankings from D1 Baseball, Baseball America, and College Baseball Nation. The Tigers were runners-up in the Hattiesburg Regional a season ago and return most of their production. Outfielder Dylan Crews and utility Paul Skenes landed on the first-team All-American roster this preseason. Tommy White– who burst onto the scene as a true freshman at NC State last year– transfers in after hitting 27 dingers a season ago.
The SEC, and a spot in Omaha, are these two squads’ to lose this coming season. However, as we see every year, it’s almost never the favorites who make noise in June.
2023 College World Series Odds Darkhorses To Consider
Teams from the SEC have won the last three College World Series (note: the event was cancelled in 2020) and four of the last five. However, the last team to repeat as champions was South Carolina in 2010-11. The reigning champion Ole Miss Rebels still stand fourth on odds boards, but lost most of their leadership and senior talent from their CWS-winning team last year.
Outside of the SEC, the TCU Horned Frogs (+5000) are a team worth keeping an eye on. The Frogs return some of the most experience in the country, headlined by All-American third baseman Brayden Taylor. They also signed the sixth-best rated transfer class in the nation, including all-conference outfielder Austin Davis from West Virginia.
Their mettle will be tested early against the likes of Vanderbilt and Arkansas in the College Baseball Showdown.
Also consider the winner of a resurgent ACC this season. Contenders include Wake Forest (+2500), North Carolina (+3000), Louisville (+3500), Virginia Tech (+6000), and Miami (+6000). Wake pitcher Rhett Lowder fanned 105 batters and walked just 26 en route to an 11-3 record last season. He landed on the preseason All-American roster and anchors one of the best starting rotations in the country. In June, pitching trumps all.
Non-Traditional Powers Who Could Make Some Noise
“Power Five” is typically a moniker used in college football, but I’m applying it here. A few teams to tab for a postseason run outside of those “Power Five” conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) include Southern Miss (+7500) and East Carolina (+9000).
Every Golden Eagles starter except two is at least a third-year player (RS Sophomore or higher) including six batters who hit at least 10 home runs last season. Southern Miss’ true surge really came last year, where they hosted and won their own Regional. Their run to Omaha came up just short as they were eliminated in the Super Regional Round by eventual-champion Ole Miss.
East Carolina, too, made the Super Regional and hosted their own Regional. They were upended by Ivan Melendez and Texas, but return most of their production this season. RHP Carter Spivey is back for his senior season after going a perfect 8-0. ECU exhausted most of their rotation last season due to their new starters not going many innings. However, those starters are back this season and ready to give the Pirates a formidable starting cast.
The two teams combined have just one CWS appearance (Southern Miss, 2009). East Carolina currently has the most NCAA Tournament appearances without a trip to Omaha. They’re poised this season to break that streak.
Where Can I Bet On College World Series Odds?
Many major sportsbooks post College World Series odds. DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Caesars Sportsbook were used in this article for odds. Some books may even offer game lines, particularly DraftKings. However, these might be state-restricted and may not appear for everybody. As the NCAA Tournament kicks into gear, more run lines and money lines will become available.
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How Does The College Baseball Postseason Work?
64 teams make the NCAA Tournament. Those 64 teams are broken up into 16 Regional brackets, hosted by the top-16 seeds in the nation (as determined by the NCAA). The four teams play a double-elimination, round-robin style tournament over an extended weekend and the winner from the Regional advances to the Super Regional.
The Super Regionals are best-of-three series for the 16 teams that advance. The winner of the Super Regional series advances to the final (elite?) eight and the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The final eight teams are broken up into two brackets, where they play a double-elimination, round-robin tournament over the course of a week. The winner of each bracket plays in a best-of-three championship series.
