College World Series Odds: Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU Top Preseason Betting Picture

Dust off those ESPN+ passwords, crack a window and reach for your favorite cold beverage — college baseball returns this weekend. More than 300 teams kick off a new campaign and marathon, hoping to clinch one of 64 seats in the NCAA tournament. For teams like the Tennessee Volunteers (Tennessee Volunteers +500 on FanDuel), Texas A&M Aggies (Texas A&M Aggies +4500 on DraftKings), and LSU Tigers (LSU Tigers +750 on DraftKings), the NCAA tournament isn’t enough. These favorites look to punch one of eight coveted tickets to the College World Series in Omaha. With the season knocking at the door, let’s look at preseason CWS odds.

College baseball odds are a rapidly growing market. If you’re new to the league, we’ll give you a rundown of what to expect in 2025 and how the NCAA baseball postseason tournament works.

2025 College World Series Odds

Click on odds anywhere in the table below to make a wager at betting sites in your area. Using the dropdown menu, toggle conference winner and other futures markets.

Last season, Tennessee won its first College World Series title, defeating Texas A&M. Thanks to dynamic pitching and explosive bats — a rare combination of each — the Vols lost no games leading up to the finals and closed out the Aggies with a 2-1 series victory. In total, Tennessee lost two postseason games.

Sizing Up The Favorites

The Vols lose a couple of prominent arms but return Nate Snead (10-2, 3.11 ERA) and a plethora of upperclassmen. A trend across multiple teams, Snead was Tennessee’s top reliever last season and now steps into a weekend starting role. Two transfers look to replace lots of lost production at the plate: infielder Gavin Kilen (Louisville, 9 HR) and one of the most coveted transfers, Andrew Fischer (Ole Miss, 20 HR). Should the pitching come together, Tennessee could again be dangerous.

However, it’s runner-up Texas A&M that takes the top spot in most preseason polls. It’s easy to see why. A&M rosters the preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Prager (9-1, 2.95 ERA), and Player of the Year, Jace LaViolette (.305 BA, 29 HR). Sophomore infielder Gavin Grahovac hit 23 homers as a true freshman, and Texas Tech transfer Gavin Kash adds a ton of power to the lineup. While the bats make for exciting baseball, pitching wins postseason games, and the Aggies have a deep rotation.

Following a dud 2024 (which followed a 2023 World Series championship), LSU returns another lethal lineup at the plate. Junior Jared Jones is the lone Tiger to have eclipsed 10 homers last season with LSU (28!), but transfers Luis Hernandez (Indiana State, 23) and Daniel Dickinson (Utah Valley, 15) add pop to this lineup. Also, watch for true freshman Derek Curiel, who was named preseason SEC Freshman of the Year.

Outside the SEC

The ACC is the premier conference to contend with the SEC in 2025. Atop CWS odds boards are the Virginia Cavaliers (Virginia Cavaliers +2400 on FanDuel), North Carolina Tar Heels (Virginia Cavaliers +2400 on FanDuel), and Florida State Seminoles (Florida State Seminoles +1600 on FanDuel). After debuting at No. 2 in many preseason polls, UVA saw its odds slash from +2400.

The Cavaliers made Omaha last season but were eliminated in two games due to a lack of hitting against elite pitchers. This year, the lineup returns almost entirely intact, with transfer Chris Arroyo heralding some excitement as a transfer plug-and-play. Pitching should again be elite with Evan Blanco (8-3, 3.62) and a wealth of bullpen talent. Despite an 0-4 mark across back-to-back College World Series appearances, postseason experience makes this team impossible to ignore.

Despite losing All-American Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina is a trendy preseason pick. Stud transfers in Tyson Bass (NC Wesleyan, 22 HR) and Sam Angelo (Montclair State, 18 HR) could help paper over the lost production. The Tar Heels should shine in the bullpen, led by Matthew Matthijs (12-4, 3.72 ERA), who will likely move into a closer spot this year.

Watch for ACC teams further down the board like Clemson (Clemson Tigers +2100 on FanDuel) and NC State (North Carolina State Wolfpack +6600 on BetMGM). The latter returns one of the best bullpens in the country.

College World Series Odds: Best Bets

I didn’t get a chance to talk about intriguing teams like Florida (Florida Gators +2600 on FanDuel) and Oregon State (Oregon State Beavers +1900 on FanDuel), so keep an eye out for mid-season adds and updates. Let’s get to some best bets.

LSU Tigers (LSU Tigers +750 on DraftKings)

LSU is exceptional at two things heading into the season: power-hitting and starting pitching. Piecing together a solid starting lineup is much easier said than done. Teams crumble instantly when it doesn’t come together (see 2024 TCU). Chase Shores returns from missing last season with an injury and carries All-SEC potential. UC San Diego transfer Anthony Eyanson (6-2, 3.07) was the ace for the Tritons in the previous season but now holds a weekend rotation spot for LSU (the Tigers know a thing or two about landing star transfers from out West).

There’s a bit of wish casting that Jones turns in an All-America season — without legit star power, you don’t win titles — but LSU’s lineup is nearly as dangerous from hitters 7-9 as it is from hitters 4-6. It’s a deep group capable of punishing opposing arms late in the lineup.

Virginia Cavaliers (Virginia Cavaliers +2400 on FanDuel)

Opening CWS odds for the Hoos were just flat-out incorrect. If you got in at 24-1, you’re likely happy with that ticket (I know I am!). But even at 12-1, UVA is a solid team to back. Experience in the postseason goes undersold when handicapping teams. As you’ll find below, the NCAA postseason is a long and arduous trek. Getting there is just half the battle. With so many players returning with CWS experience, this will be an exciting team in June.

Tennessee, last year’s champion, fell short in Omaha in 2023. Ole Miss fell short in the Super Regionals in 2021. Mississippi State lost in Omaha in 2019 and 2018 (and won in 2021, with 2020 being axed to COVID-19). The bottom line is that CWS-experienced teams that remain more or less intact are great to back.

UVA also rosters a ridiculously deep bullpen, and that’s often the determining factor in the postseason.

Arkansas Razorbacks (Arkansas Razorbacks +1200 on BetMGM)

Nobody in the country rosters Arkansas’ pitching talent. Nobody. Reliever Christian Foutch moves into the closing role after recording a silly 0.81 ERA in 20 appearances. Gabe Gaeckle (3-3, 2.32, 7 saves) steps into a starting role, and the rotation is bolstered by ECU student Zach Root (6-2, 3.52). But last year, pitching wasn’t the issue.

At times, the Razorbacks couldn’t buy a hit. Transfers in Cam Kozeal (Vanderbilt) and Brent Iredale (New Mexico CC) should help fill out the starting nine after a bummer of a season when it came to hitting. Despite hitting .243 (second worst in the SEC), Arkansas won 40 games and hosted a regional. Improving to even mediocre in the SEC could spell an enormous jump for Arkansas, making it an intriguing bet with serious star power on the bump.

The Longshot: Clemson Tigers (Clemson Tigers +2100 on FanDuel)

When looking at teams further down the CWS odds board, start with finding star power. Cam Cannarella is that star for Clemson, which already rosters a sturdy lineup around him. The junior slashed .337/.417/.561 and made eye-popping plays in center field. Ultimately, starting pitching has to come together early for the Tigers — as mentioned, failure to find consistency with starters is an immediate death sentence. Sophomore Aidan Knaak (5-1, 3.35) is a high-end starter, but the other weekend slots are questionable. Seton Hall transfer Michael Gillen (4-1, 2.31) has potential as he moves from a reliever to a starter.

Having two superstars (one on the mound and one at the plate) with a strong cast around them is a winning strategy. To an extreme extent, see how 2023 LSU came together with Paul Skenes and Tommy White. This isn’t to say Clemson has that power on its current roster — that LSU team is in the conversation for most talented all-time — but even 80% of that is enough to propel Clemson to Omaha.

How Does The College World Series Work?

The NCAA Baseball Tournament features 64 teams and three stages. Twenty-nine of those teams secure a berth to the postseason by winning their respective conference tournaments. As with March Madness odds, a committee selects the other 35 at-large bids.

Those 64 teams are split into 16 regional tournaments — the top 16 national seeds host those tournaments. The four teams in each regional play a double-elimination tournament, and each victor advances to the Super Regional round. The winner of the No. 1 overall seed’s region faces the winner from Region 16. The Region 8 winner plays the Region 9 winner, and so on. This round features a best-of-three series, and the eight winners punch their tickets to the College World Series.

In Omaha, the eight teams again split into two four-team brackets. As with the regional round, those teams play a double-elimination style tournament. The winners of each CWS bracket square off in a best-of-three final series for the College World Series championship.

If you’re lost, I recommend checking out the 2024 CWS bracket and exploring the setup yourself.

Good luck betting CWS odds, and happy opening day!

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