Florida vs. Virginia College World Series 2023: Odds, Preview, TV Start Time
The No. 2 overall seed Florida Gators (50-15) take on the No. 7 overall seed Virginia Cavaliers (50-13) in their first game at the 2023 men’s College World Series. At opening, either team is favored between -120 and -110. However, early movement strongly favored the Gators, who quickly became a notable favorite. First pitch is Friday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET from Omaha. You can watch on ESPN with streaming on ESPN+. Below, we’ll compare Florida vs. Virginia odds from the best sports betting sites.
Current College World Series odds slate Florida at +380 to win the title and Virginia at +600 – the top two teams in Bracket 1.
College World Series: Florida vs. Virginia Odds
Florida Gators Baseball
Few teams beat a more impressive cast of opponents on the road to Omaha than Florida and Virginia. The Gators took down their own regional, which included UConn (25th in RPI) and Texas Tech (38th). In the Super Regionals, UF shut out No. 15 South Carolina in Game 2 to sweep the Gamecocks. Pitcher Hurston Waldrep (7-3, 4.15) turned in eight scoreless innings and rung up 13 batters in the game. Against Virginia, the Gators will need more strong showings.
Through the first two rounds of the NCAA Baseball Championship, Florida allowed five runs once and shut out their opponents three times. Dynamic two-way player Jac Caglianone leads the starting rotation in ERA (3.78) and also set the program record for home runs hit in a season (31 and counting). Reliever Ryan Slater (11-1, 3.51) is one of the best in the tournament and closer Brandon Neely (13 saves) provides a strong anchor.
UVA Cavaliers Baseball
In the Super Regionals, Virginia punished Duke’s fastball pitchers. They missed a sweep by literal inches, but in Games 2 and 3, UVA outscored Duke 26-6 to lock up its spot in the CWS. The Cavaliers have the third-best wOBA (.432) and fourth-best FIP (4.30), both marks that trump Florida. Despite Game 1 being a relative toss-up at sportsbooks, College Baseball Nation projects the Wahoos as the most likely team to reach the National Championship series from Bracket 1 (38%).
The Hoos have the pitching depth to thrive in the double-elimination CWS rules format. Just one arm with more than 15 innings pitched has an ERA above a 4.00 and they have two aces – Nick Parker (8-0, 3.70) and Connelly Early (12-2, 3.06). The one question for UVA is how they handle the postseason away from Charlottesville. Virginia posted a 35-5 record at home this season and a 15-8 record on the road.
Projected Pitchers
Starters for Florida vs. Virginia likely won’t be released until a day or two beforehand. However, based on previous rotations, we can make an educated guess at who we will see on the bump Friday.
- Florida: Brandon Sproat (8-3, 4.69 ERA, 5.36 FIP)
- Virginia: Nick Parker (8-0, 3.70 ERA, 5.20 FIP)
Winning Game 1 of the College World Series is paramount to success. The last team to lose their first CWS and still win the title was Virginia back in 2015. It’ll be a surprise if we don’t see both team’s aces right out of the gate.
Sproat allowed three runs in 6.0 IP on 105 pitches in his last outing, a 5-4 win over South Carolina. In Parker’s last outing, he allowed three runs in 6.2 IP en route to a 5-4 loss to Duke. Reliever Jay Woolfolk picked up the loss in that game, however, as he gave up the two go-ahead runs.
Florida Vs. Virginia Odds Analysis
Florida has seen seriously heavy movement since opening as low as -110. As of June 15, they climbed to -140 at BetMGM Sportsbook. What that did, however, is bump the price of Virginia way up – from -120 at opening at BetMGM to now +110. I see value in that line and bet Virginia on the moneyline.
To couple, I also headed to FanDuel Sportsbook and placed smaller futures on CWS finalists:
Join our FREE sports betting Discord for College Baseball bets from our staff.
Best Sportsbook Promo Codes For The College World Series
Couple shopping for the best odds with shopping for the best sportsbook promo codes to maximize your success. Find our recommended promos below:
RELATED ARTICLES
