Welcome back college baseball fans! We are looking forward to an incredible day of baseball, and also looking forward to starting a new article cash streak!
We hit the first 4 before Prage and Texas A&M let us down last Friday in their first road test vs Florida. For today's selection we have a pairing of 2 teams for + money action!
Blue Devils Top End Pitching Is Elite
Our first selection takes us to Doak Field in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the #9 Duke Blue Devils (16-5) will be visiting the NC State Wolfpack (13-6). We absolutely love this matchup for a bounce back spot, and series, after dropping their last series to Clemson. We have been backing Jonathan Santucci all year, and we don't stop when they need another ACC win badly.
Duke has won every start behind Santucci, one on a neutral site vs Indiana and recently at Wake Forest. In 5 starts, he is 4-0 with 24 innings, and he has compiled a stellar 2.19 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7 runs, 13 BB, 46 Ks, and .198 B/Avg.
To add to their pitching depth, Charlie Beilenson is coming off the worst outing of his season. He was stellar up to that pivotal game 3, where he couldn't hold Clemson, and Duke lost in extras.
In 9 appearances and 18 innings, he holds 1.96 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 4 runs (all vs Clemson), 6 BBs, 30 Ks, and 1.91 B/Avg. The Blue Devils have a team ERA of 3.44 but should see these two Friday to get game one, unless they are giving Beilenson more time between outings.
Blue Devils Can Also Rake, And We Are Counting On It
These boys can smash the cover off the ball too! Over the season the Blue Devils are hitting .334 with 247 hits and 200 runs. Duke has been even hotter over the last 10 games as a team hitting. 350, with Zac Morris at .395, Ben Miller at .366, and freshman AJ Garcia at .378!
They face NC State's better pitchers to date allowing only .182 B/Avg, but he can give up walks, and Duke will find some hits. This could be a low scoring game, but I am banking on Duke's bats to come through sometime on Highfill, and after he is pulled!
Our Second match takes us to Terre Haute, Indiana, where the Sycamores (15-4) welcome in the Missouri State Bears (9-10) for their opening MVC conference series. The Sycamores have been on a roll!
The Sycamores Bats Are Scorching Hot
No need to talk about their stellar pitching just yet! Their bats have been clutch and scoring runs in bunches! Over their last 10 games, Luis Hernanzez has been nothing short of a star, slashing a cool .436 and on an 18-game hitting streak.
To add to Hernandez, his mates, Randal Diaz is hitting .366, Dominic Listi .371, and Mike Sears is back with a grand slam last game, hitting .333 and 7 home runs in that span! These boys may get down on the scoreboard, but they are never out of it, and will get enough runs today at some point!
I have a hunch Brandt Thompson will be on the mound for Missouri St, but there is nothing official yet. In 6 appearances he holds a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings pitching, with 4 free passes, 23 strikeouts, and holds batters to .256. This won't be an easy task for the Sycamores as the Bears can pitch and have plenty of relievers with low B/Avg allowed.
Indiana State Bullpen Will Be a Strength Again Today
Missouri St is coming in on a 5-game losing streak to Oklahoma St, getting swept in the weekend series by Kansas St, and losing at St. Louis. Now they have to face one of the hottest hitting teams over the last few weeks, and face a weekend rotation of Holycross, Hayden, and Cutts. Not sure where Jacob Pruitt has been, but it sounds like he may be going sometime this weekend.
I expect Holycross to go today and he sports a 2.63 ERA in 5 starts, going 15 innings, just 2 walks, 16 Ks, and holding batters to .254. He will not go very deep, maybe 4-5 innings if he is pitching well, but Indiana State has a very good and deep bullpen that should be able to weather any storm, as they usually do!
The Pick: Duke ML + Indiana St ML (+116) DraftKings
