Well, Florida Atlantic got rinsed last night...by Iowa. On James Litman day, the Owls fell out of the tree. It was a tough way to start the weekend, but it's all about the bounceback. There's a few things Saturday I'm taking a look at, so let's get back into the winner's circle.
Auburn Tigers (+160) vs. FSU Seminoles (-210) | Total: 11
College baseball is back at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. After a thrilling opening weekend at GLF for the Shriner's Children's Classic, we have another good series on our hands. Two of the teams participating were winners yesterday in Auburn and FSU. On Saturday, they square off as they try to go to 2-0.
Auburn looked phenomenal as they shut down a hot Kansas State team. Virginia Tech transfer Jake Marciano was dotting, going six shutout innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. For a pivotal game two test, it will be Jackson Sanders going up against a stout FSU offense. Sanders wasn't a starter at Auburn last year, registering just 17 innings over 15 appearances. The result in a small sample size wasn't fantastic, as he posted a 5.29 ERA, .303 OBA and 10:13 K:BB.
In his first outing last week against Youngstown State, Sanders shoved for six innings, allowing just one run. Auburn is expecting a big jump for him this season, especially since they're starting him off in the Saturday role. The lefty doesn't bring a ton of heat, sitting between 89-92 MPH, but the low three-quarter arm slot plays the heater up a bit with some movement to boot. He complements it with a mid-80s cutting-slider. Against an FSU lineup that can stack runs, Sanders needs to work down in the zone like he did last week.
The Seminoles offense features some serious boppers, and yes, I'm referring to Myles Bailey, my dark horse Golden Spikes winner, who was 100-1 before the season. Bailey has some of the most raw power in the country. Off to a 5-for-11 start with a homer, this kid is somebody who can turn a game in a flash. Along with Bailey, Cal Fisher, Brayden Dowd and Hunter Carns provide some real flair to this Florida State lineup that has realistic College World Series aspirations. There are tough outs up and down this order, so Sanders will have to be on point in this one.
On the other side, it will not be FAU transfer Trey Beard going due to an illness. Instead, it will be UVA transfer Bryson Moore. In two seasons at Virginia, he stacked 31.1 IP in eight starts (14 total appearances) and a 2.59 ERA. For Moore, it's a three-pitch mix mostly, with a heater, changeup and curveball. Like Sanders, it's a small sample size, but he's obviously talented enough to where his head coach Link Jarret feels confident enough to start him on a Saturday against a stacked Auburn offense.
The Tigers are missing their best bat in Chris Rembert, but there are still a lot of guys in this offense. Potential 2027 first-rounder Chase Fralick comes to mind as a threat. Along with Bristol Carter, Bub Terrell and Eric Guevara, this offense can definitely bang. Despite getting off to a slower start, the tide will likely turn sooner rather than later.
At the end of the day, it's a pitching matchup between two relatively small-sample-sized starters who have flashed enough juice to earn the right to pitch. On a neutral field without Beard starting, I don't think FSU should be a -210 favorite. It should be closer to FSU -140, so I'm taking a shot on Auburn.
The Pick: Auburn ML (+160 DraftKings)
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