We're back and ready to roll with another best bet in college baseball. Congrats to all who tailed our 2% winner on DBU yesterday. Check out what we have cooking for Saturday, March 2.
Pick: 2-Leg (+126) Alabama ML + ECU ML
For today’s 1st pick we find ourselves back at the Frisco Classic in Texas, where we watched DBU hit our 2 unit play yesterday vs Arizona. Today we are backing Aidan Moza and the (9-0) Crimson Tide vs (4-5) Arizona Wildcats. Alabama is coming off a 7-inning drubbing of Indiana yesterday, as they cruised to victory 12-0.
Moza(2-0, 4.50 ERA, 4BB, 11K) has looked good so far this season and he gets a tough matchup on the mound vs Clark Candiotti (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 2BB, 11K). Arizona has lost both of Candiotti’s starts and Arizona’s matchup gets even tougher today. Yesterday their pitching staff faced one of their toughest tests yet in DBU, losing 4-3.
Today, it gets tougher, as Alabama is slashing .363 as a team, with a scorching 107 runs, blasting 20 home runs, and crushing 22 doubles to a 9-0 start this season. Not only has their hitting been spectacular, the boast one of the top pitching groups in the country. The Tide has a team ERA of 1.48, compared to 5.19 for Arizona. Arizona as we discussed yesterday can hit and pitch, as we saw in a close game vs powerhouse DBU.
Why we like this pick so much is the extra rest Alabama received last night due to their blowout win. Their bullpen received extra rest and are now lined up perfectly if Moza runs into trouble. We like Alabama bats to stay hot here to generate at least 5-6 runs and that should be plenty if Alabama pitching can continue to dominate.
Our 2nd leg takes us to North Carolina where ECU is hosting a weekend tournament. #11 ECU (6-3) faces off against Cal State Fullerton (4-4). ECU is coming off a nice win vs Purdue behind their Ace, as Fullerton is coming off a 5-1 loss to SE Louisiana.
We are taking #11 ECU with starter Zach Root toeing the rubber. Root (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 1BB, 14K) has been absolutely spectacular this season in his 2 starts. ECU is a tough place to play as they are currently 5-0 at home to start this season, and we like that momentum to carry through this game.
Fullerton is starting sophomore Mikia Negrete (1-0, 5.59 ERA, 3BB, 12K), who has allowed 14 hits in 9.2 innings of work and this matchup is brutal. ECU is slashing .309 as a team, drawing 39 walks, 13 stolen bases, and their starting lineup is hot with 5 regular starters hitting over .300 and one off the bench hitting .500.
It doesn’t stop there, as their bread and butter has been their pitching staff. To date, they are nationally ranked in numerous pitching categories, 7th in hits allowed per nine innings (5.84), 9th in fielding percentage (.989), 11th in pitching strikeouts per nine innings (12.3), and 16th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.39).
Fullerton is usually a steady ball club, but after traveling from West Coast to East Coast, playing a 10 am game yesterday, and now back today vs one of the top teams in the country, it will be tough for them to get this one. If we can get some big hits, and strong pitching from these two staffs, we love this 2-leg as our Pick of the Day!
