Every college baseball season we like to read through the pre-season predictions and formulate an opinion on teams' outlooks based on previous seasons, and the upcoming one. Then we like to watch these teams a few weeks before we dive into team futures.
As you will see over the course of the 2024 D1 college baseball season, most of these future prices will not move much. Now is a good time to release these after the first 3.5 weeks of play.
Best Bet: Wake Forest +700
We made these selections last week on Thursday (3/7), prior to this past weekend of play. This last weekend saw one of our teams lose their first weekend series of the year as #12 Duke took down #1 Wake, in Wake over the weekend. We actually had Duke winning 2 of those 3, and they did just that. We are VERY high on this Duke team.
Duke has one of the best offenses in the country and they could be a dark horse for CWS. We still love our Wake Forest play. They brought back key pieces from last year and re-tooled with a ton of talent to boost them even further than last year.
They lost to LSU to go to the CWS final, and we see them seeking revenge this postseason. They are the best ACC team in the country, in a very good conference. Their pitching, headed by Josh Hartle and Chase Burns, is one of the top groups in the country and those that know baseball, know pitching matters in the playoffs.
Why We Like the Demon Deacons at +700
To start this season Wake is 12-3, with a team ERA of 3.75, while hitting .278. Their offense is not nearly as good as some of the other teams we will talk about, and quite frankly we could find 50 better hitting teams.
Having said that, Wake will hit in the postseason with timely hits, and when your pitching staff can hold teams to 4-6 runs per game, they will find a way to score 1 more than you. They have 5 relievers under 3.00 ERA, and 4 that are under 1.30 ERA.
Wake finished 54-12 last season, we do see them losing a few more games this season as the ACC is a gauntlet, but we still see a 48-18ish type of record for our first future play. They will make the regionals unless they lose each of these starting pitchers, so we feel good about them making a deep run again.
Best Bet: TCU +1600
TCU impressed us a lot last year in the College World Series taking out Virginia and Oral Roberts, before ultimately losing to Florida to go to the Final. Perhaps another revenge plays like our Wake Forest one above, they were so close a year ago. TCU bats ended last season on a tear, and we expected them to get off to a hot start this season.
TCU did just that, starting off 2024 in the same fashion, ripping off 13 wins before taking their first loss, in a cold, 30-degree snowy weather in Kansas. That was predicted as those Texas bats don't love to travel to cold weather states. The TCU bats carried them the first 13 games as pitching was not as good as expected, but they have already been tested, playing numerous good teams.
What Intrigues Us to Back the Horned Frogs at +1600
TCU won the Big12 last year and they were chosen to win it again this year, over some very good teams like Texas Tech, Texas, and Oklahoma. Last season they finished 44-24 and we see them a little better this year. A 48-20 season seems like a good target to hit with the team they are currently fielding.
They are hitting .316 as a team, with 8 regular batters hitting over .300, 5 of them have started every game. Their pitching, and specifically top end pitching, need to be better in order to make a serious run in the CWS. They sit at 4.68 team ERA but have 6 relievers all under 3.00 ERA. If their starting pitching can line up with their potent bats, they have a very good chance to make it to the final weekend at the CWS.
Best Bet: Texas A&M +2000
Now this team REALLY excites us for multiple reasons. We love them to be much more improved from last year where they finished with an overall record of 38-27. If they do not finish this season with more than 42 wins, we will be utterly shocked. The Aggies come into this season ranked #8 in pre-season polls because of their pitching and hitting, both are expected to be elite!
Now before we get into this, it must be discussed just how deep the SEC is. An SEC team has won the last 5 of 6 College World Series championships: (LSU/2023, Ole Miss/2022, Miss St/2021, Vandy/2019, Florida/2017). This is our favorite pick out of all of these futures we have taken, we are very high on this team, but as you see, it won't be easy.
We also did not talk about Arkansas, who may be most college baseball writers favorite to win the whole thing. Arkansas has the 2nd best odds to win, and while they have the top pitching in the country, we like the bats on these other teams more in clutch moments down the stretch.
Give Us the Aggies from Texas at +2000
To date, Texas A&M has the BEST pitching in the country, and it's not even close. They boast a wild 1.62 team ERA, where all 5 starters are under 3.86 ERA, and the main 4 sit at (1.32, 1.00, 0.98, 0.00). All 4 of those starters have pitched at least 3 games each. Ryan Prager has 4 starts with 0.00 ERA and Justin Lamkin has 4 starts with 0.98 ERA.
These boys can pitch, and they can go deep into the bullpen. If they stay healthy, there is no reason this group cannot stay under 3-4.00 ERA all season. Their competition will get tougher as we get into conference play.
Now, let's talk about this offense, they are not our favorite offense to watch, that would be DBU, but this team can pound the ball. 7 regular starters hit over .320, with 4 hitting over .333, and all of their regular batters hit over .250. This offense is a gauntlet to get through, crushing 29 homers, scoring 161 runs, and finding a .470 on-base percentage. If they can make it through the SEC and finish top 2, while staying healthy, we will be licking our chops come time for regionals.
Best Bet: Alabama +3500
Behind 1st year head coach Rob Vaughn, once we saw these odds, we jumped all over it. We love this team behind his leadership he brings with him from a Maryland program where he won back-to-back Big10 regular season championships. This won't be easy for them as they brought in a ton of transfers that are playing major roles this season.
Vaughn overhauled this program that dealt with a sports betting scandal involving their former head coach. We have already seen major dividends pay off for Vaugn as Alabama is off to a 15-1 start, with their only loss to DBU. Boy does Vaughn know how to put a team together and get the best out of his players.
Roll Tide for +3500: Where Do We Sign Up?
Out of all the teams we have discussed this team is currently the best hitting and the 2nd best pitching. They rank nationally in numerous hitting and pitching categories, and they have players that are performing in every position on the diamond. They are hitting .345 as a team, smashing 30 bombs, slashing 185 hits, and successfully reaching base .464.
They have also added 89 walks and are 100% on stolen bases going 15 for 15. When this team gets on base, they have a good chance of moving that player over with all nine starters hitting over .268, 8 of them over .300, and 2 of them over .400. To my estimation, this is the best hitting team currently in the country besides Florida State.
We haven't discussed their pitching where they hold opposing teams to .216 batting average and a team ERA of 3.31. Aidan Moza hasn't been up to snuff yet with a 6.17 ERA in 11 innings, but his other 3 running mates, Farone, Adams, and Hess, are all under 2.65 ERA.
When those guys get in trouble, they go to Myers, Fay, and Buchanan who have all been very good so far, Myers especially in 6 appearances, 0.87 ERA on .194 batting average. This team has weapons everywhere, they are exciting to watch, and they are well worth the +3500 price.
