Collegiate Baseball continues to grow, and it is amazing to see! One of the biggest examples of the sport’s growth has been the NCAA Baseball gambling market. It feels like Christmas morning as the NCAA Baseball Tournament begins today at Noon Eastern. In this article, I’ll list my favorite College Baseball picks for May 31st, College Baseball betting odds on some of the top games, how to watch them, and what side to be on.
CHECK OUT THE SGPN COLLEGE BASEBALL PICKS PAGE
College Baseball Picks For May 31st – NCAA Baseball Tournament
All College Baseball Bets Are To Win 1 Unit
7:00 PM Bryant at NC State
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Bryant: Austin Wainer SR RHP (7-2, 4.03 ERA, 67 K, 23 BB, 80.1 IP, 3.93 SIERA)
NC State: Sam Highfill Grad RHP (5-2, 5.56 ERA, 69 K, 36 BB, 68 IP, 4.45 SIERA)
Success on the mound is not the reason why NC State earned a top 16 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Their “Ace,” Sam Highfill, has a 7.59 ERA in his last 4 starts. The Wolf Pack bullpen has a 5.76 Weekend ERA. Bryant, the 4-seed in this matchup, also has a super rough pen ERA (7.41). Add in Austin Wainer’s recent rough stretch of a 6.53 ERA in his last 3 starts, and this is a recipe for a lot of runs.
NC State’s offense has a 110 wRC+ courtesy of a trio of hitters in the heart of their order: Garrett Pennington, Alec Makarewicz, and Jacob Cozart. All three of them have an OPS over 1.000 this season.
-115 Bryant/NC State Over 14 (DraftKings)
Make it FOUR All-ACC selections for the #Pack9 🌟
• Jacob Cozart (First Team)
• Alec Makarewicz (Second Team)
• Sam Highfill (Third Team)
• Garrett Pennington (Third Team) pic.twitter.com/sulFnPmT16— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) May 20, 2024
6:00 PM Texas vs Louisiana
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Texas: Max Grubbs SO RHP: 5-4, 3.41 ERA, 46 K, 15 BB, 68.2 IP, 4.00 SIERA
Louisiana: Carson Fluno SR RHP: 4-0, 2.94 ERA, 47 K, 19 BB, 52 IP, 3.80 SIERA
These two teams also played each other in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Texas defeated Louisiana 4-2. Once again, this should be a low-scoring affair. Both projected starting pitchers enter this tilt in fantastic form. Max Grubbs has a 2.96 ERA in his last 4 starts, and Carson Fluno has a 1.50 ERA in his last 3 appearances. Both bullpens behind them are also solid.
Blue Bell Park is a large park (LF 330, 375, CF 400, 375, RF 330), as it is 375 to the power alleys. There will not be any freebies over the fence, especially with some possible spotty weather.
-115 Texas/Louisiana Under 10.5 (DraftKings)
7:00 PM +130 Illinois vs Indiana State -166
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Illinois: Jack Crowder SR RHP: 7-2, 5.25 ERA, 75 K, 38 BB, 82.1 IP, 4.32 SIERA
Indiana State: Zach Davidson SR LHP: 5-1, 2.41 ERA, 80 K, 17 BB, 52.1 IP, 1.53 SIERA
Indiana State returns a good chunk of production from last year’s team that advanced to the Super Regionals. I like the added aspect of the Sycamores’ postseason experience, especially against an Illinois team that went 1-2 in the Big Ten Tournament.
Speaking of the B1G Tourney, it was played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, a notoriously large park. Kentucky Proud Park plays pretty big as well 335 to LF and 375 to LCF. As a team that relies on the long ball, the Fighting Illini could be in some trouble.
Additionally, Jack Crowder has a 6.37 ERA in his last 4 starts. Compare that to Zach Davidson’s 0.36 ERA in his last 6 appearances, and grabbing a win in this game will be an uphill climb for Illinois. I would play this to at least -200 in the NCAA Baseball gambling market.
-166 Indiana State ML (DraftKings)
Mr. Nichols 👏
Luke Nichols named First Team All-CUSA pic.twitter.com/uwU96zComi
— Diamond Dogs (@LATechBSB) May 21, 2024
8:00 PM +135 Kansas State vs Louisiana Tech -175
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Kansas State: Owen Boerema Grad LHP: 6-3, 4.91 ERA, 99 K, 39 BB, 88 IP, 3.49 SIERA
Louisiana Tech: Luke Nichols JR LHP: 4-3, 3.74 ERA, 81 K, 27 BB, 77 IP, 3.16 SIERA
Congratulations for reading this far, you’ve reached my favorite game of the day. However, Fayetteville is expecting some bad weather. For this play, rain wouldn’t be a bad thing, but hopefully, it won’t wipe this game out completely.
Kansas State’s Owen Boerema has a 3.82 ERA in his last 4 starts, and Louisiana Tech’s Luke Nichols has a 3.27 ERA in his last 5 starts. Both squads have great bullpens. Tyson Neighbors (55 K, 33.1 IP) and Cole Wisenbaker (2.83 ERA) are super reliable arms out of the Wildcats’ bullpen. We could also see Sam Brodersen (2.47, 95 K, 54.2 IP) and Ethan Bates (17 saves and 3.50 ERA) as two outstanding options out of the Bulldogs’ bullpen.
One last stat that supports both an under and Louisiana Tech’s moneyline is K-State’s offensive splits. The Wildcats have an .896 OPS against right-handed pitching; however, against southpaws, their OPS plummets to .633.
-175 Louisiana Tech ML (DraftKings)
-115 Kansas State / Louisiana Tech Under 12 (DraftKings)
College Baseball Picks For May 31st
For more analysis and entertainment on NCAA Baseball gambling, make sure you tune into The College Baseball Experience. During the season, Colby Dant and Noah Bieniek will talk about and pick the winners of each weekend’s biggest series.
