Wake Forest Vs. LSU: 2023 College World Series Odds, Semifinal Preview, TV
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (54-10) face the LSU Tigers (50-16) in the semifinals of the 2023 Men’s College World Series. After upending LSU once, Wake is a -135 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook. LSU is +118 on the money line with a spot in the championship series sitting on the line. The game begins Wednesday, June 21 at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast from Omaha, Neb., on ESPN and ESPN+. Below, we’ll compare LSU vs. Tennessee odds at the best sports betting sites.
Wake Forest is now the odds-on favorite on College World Series odds boards at -105. LSU holds longer odds (+700) due to needing to beat Wake twice to even reach the finals.
College World Series: Wake Forest Vs. LSU Odds
CWS Game Preview
LSU and Wake Forest played an instant classic Monday evening in their first matchup. Josh Hartle and the Demon Deacons just snuck by the Tigers, 3-2, thanks to a Bennett Lee RBI single in the eighth inning. LSU went on to play Tennessee, where they held the Vols scoreless. But now decisions have to be made for LSU.
Persisting wind batted down a couple home run balls from Dylan Crews and Tommy White on Tuesday night. Those wins out of center field will continue through Wednesday’s game. Instead, the Tigers will have to rely on base hits to score their runs, something Wake excels in.
The difference in the game, though, is the pitching. Ace Paul Skenes is expected to take the mound on short rest Wednesday with LSU facing elimination. Though they’d like to win today, Wake does have the luxury of an extra game and will likely start No. 3 starter Reed Mascolo. Wake has a deeper bullpen that they can tap if necessary, but LSU has the clear pitching edge.
The market remained steady on opening numbers of Wake around -145 and LSU around +115, unlike the earlier game where Florida saw a ton of movement. However, the run total was bet way down from 11.5 down to 10.
Omaha Weather
Forecasts for Omaha call for highs near 93º with a strengthening wind out of center field. Though not as strong as yesterday, winds are expected to remain around 10 mph or greater, which caused multiple home run balls to be knocked down in yesterday’s action.
Projected Pitchers
Starters for Wake Forest vs. LSU may not be announced until game time. However, we can speculate on who might start on the mound Wednesday:
- Wake Forest: Reed Mascolo (7-1, 3.99 ERA, 6.24 FIP)
- LSU: Paul Skenes (13-2, 1.81 ERA, 2.06 FIP)
Mascolo makes his first start for Wake since May 16. In two postseason appearances, he pitched two decisions, with one being a loss to Miami in the ACC Tournament. In short, the Demon Deacons just haven’t needed Mascolo to take the mound. As the No. 3 starter (or, more recently, No. 4), you could do much worse than the RS junior.
Typically, a Paul Skenes start means a pencilled-in W for LSU. However, this is against Wake Forest, one of the best power hitting teams in the country. Skenes makes this start on short rest after throwing 123 pitches against Tennessee on Saturday. Behind him is likely No. 2 starter Ty Floyd, also coming into the game on short rest, having thrown 97 pitches just Monday against Wake Forest. Luckily, LSU was able to save their bullpen in their last two games.
Wake Forest Vs. LSU Odds Analysis
It’s a tough sell to bet against Paul Skenes against a team’s No. 3. It’s also tough to bet on LSU with a tough ballpark and wind disadvantage nerfing their power at the plate. I bet Under 11.5 runs (-121), but wouldn’t play anything less than 11 runs.
Otherwise, the market overvalues Wake Forest a bit, but is pretty consistent with LSU. In particular with college baseball, watch for two-way markets with high holds at retail books. Many of their money line markets exceed 5%, although comparing prices can artificially bring that hold down to 3% or so. Watch for late market movement, as that always to point towards winners this postseason.
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