Best College Baseball Bet for Saturday April 4th
Jack Radel threw a gem last night, but it wasn't to be since ND couldn't give him the run support. No biggie. We're in for a bounce back on Saturday.
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Alabama Crimson Tide (-115) @ Oklahoma Sooners (-115) | Total: 12.5
Alabama caught fire out of nowhere with back to back sweeps of Florida and Auburn the last two weeks, after being swept by Kentucky prior. Before they lost 4-2 to Oklahoma on Friday, they had won seven straight SEC games. Saturday's rubber match is a coin flip, but much needed by both teams.
For Bama, freshman stud Myles Upchurch takes the mound. Upchurch has been impressive thus far with a 3.67 ERA and 38 K's in 27 IP. Of course though, the bugaboo has been the free passes (19 BB). Those have cut his ability to go deeper into games, while also contributing to unnecessary runs for the opposition. And for a team like Oklahoma that lives to wreak havoc on the bases, that needs to be put under control.
Although the Sooners have cooled off a bit after being swept by Texas last weekend, they're still a formidable offense littered with base stealers. Jaxon Willits (.326 avg, 2 HR), Trey Gambill (.313 avg, 5 HR) and Camden Johnson (.305 avg, 3 HR) pace an offense that has amassed 73 steals thus far. What will likely decide this game is if Upchurch can control the free passes and the running game.
Another freshman takes the mound for Oklahoma in Cord Rager. Rager has had some struggles of his own (4.80 ERA), especially with the long ball. He's allowed five taters in 30 IP to go along with 35 K's and 13 BB's. This Crimson Tide offense isn't one you make mistakes against. For starters, Justin Lebron is projected as a top three pick in this year's draft. He lurks with 11 homers and 24 steals. Brady Neal (.377 avg, 1.129 OPS, 6 HR) and Bryce Fowler (.359 avg, 1.033 OPS, 5 HR) are also pacing the offense. But Alabama has a lot of contributors in this relatively deep offense.
I understand why this is a coin flip game, but Alabama definitely has the offensive advantage in addition to the pitching advantage. It should be a relatively close contest, but I like the Tide here.
Pick: Alabama ML -115 (DK)
