We’re finally back in Omaha for the 2024 College World Series. I’m excited, you’re excited — let’s start making some money, shall we? As we kick off the tournament, I’ve got some college baseball picks and predictions for today, Friday, June 14, using the college baseball odds at FanDuel. We’ll be looking at the early afternoon battle between the Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina Tar Heels.
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College Baseball Odds, Pick & Prediction Today: Friday, June 14
College Baseball Odds, Pick & Prediction Today: Virginia-North Carolina | June 14
Virginia Cavaliers at North Carolina Tar Heers
UVA: +102 | UNC: -130
Game Time: 2 p.m. ET
Where: Omaha, Neb.
Odds via FanDuel
The No. 12 Virginia Cavaliers will play as the road team against the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels in the opening match of the College World Series. The two ACC teams played a two-game series back in early April that Virginia won, but these teams headed in very different directions since then.
Virginia finished conference play at 18-12, which, while good, trailed North Carolina’s 22-8 mark substantially. This had consequences in the RPI — North Carolina comes into this series at No. 4 in the RPI while Virginia sits at No. 9. That said, the Cavaliers have an advantage in Quad 1 games, boasting an 11-8 record to the Tar Heels’ 11-10.
The starting pitchers for this game have been announced: it’s LHP Evan Blanco for Virginia and RHP Jason DeCaro for North Carolina. When these pitchers squared off in the April series, DeCaro coughed up five runs on six hits and three walks while Blanco surrendered just two runs on six hits and one walk.
On the season, DeCaro owns a 4.42 RA9 and 1.336 WHIP. That gives him an advantage over Blanco’s 4.56 RA9, but he trails his 1.284 WHIP. It’s a mostly even pitching matchup with the biggest differences between these guys being DeCaro’s higher walk rate (4.3 BB/9 to 2.4) and Blanco’s higher strikeout (9.2 K/9 to 7.6) and hit rates (9.1 H/9 to 7.7). Both pitchers have given up 1.1 HR/9 on the season.
Handedness is also at issue. DeCaro, a righty, faces a UVA team with a collective 1.004 OPS that improves marginally to 1.010 against righties. Blanco, a lefty, faces a UNC team with a collective .940 OPS that balloons to 1.039 against lefties. UNC star Vance Honeycutt is slashing an absurd .476/.549/1.238 against southpaws this season, good for a 1.787 OPS. This includes two home runs against Blanco.
This game is a tricky one to handicap, but I’m giving the edge to the Tar Heels. Honeycutt should be able to plate some runs against Blanco again — it’s more a question of whether he’ll get any baserunners to work with. Although Virginia has an edge in overall OPS, North Carolina has one against southpaws, and they’re also the home team as opposed to the visitors they were in April.
College Baseball Pick Today Virginia-North Carolina: North Carolina ML -130 at FanDuel
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