It’s Opening Day across the college baseball landscape. You’ll have to keep a close eye on where today’s games are getting played, as several teams have neural-site contests on the schedule. Let’s dive into today’s college baseball odds to make our picks and predictions for today, Friday, February 16. If you’re hungry for more, check out our 2024 college baseball season preview.
College Baseball Odds, Pick & Prediction Today: Opening Day
College Baseball Odds, Pick & Prediction Today
Florida Atlantic Owls at Vanderbilt Commodores
FAU: +220 | VAN -298
FAU +2.5: -105 | VAN -2.5: -125
Over 11: -115 | Under 11: -115
Game Time: 2 pm. ET
Odds via DraftKings
The Vanderbilt Commodores open the season with a home series against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Although FAU has been competitive in recent years, the program lost star INF Nolan Schanuel in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Schanuel recorded an elite 1.483 OPS last season and ended the year starting for the Los Angeles Angels.
The Owls will regress mightily without Schanuel, but I don’t know if the books are fully pricing his departure into this line. Sure, FAU added some talent in the offseason, but losing a literal major-league-caliber batter is a huge loss. The team’s only other batter with an OPS above .900, Jackson Ross, transferred to Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt could have had a better offseason, but at least it wasn’t apocalyptic like FAU’s. The ‘Dores lost OF Enrique Bradfield in the first round of the draft, but they reloaded with a top-10 freshman class and kept their best pitchers. Today’s starter, RHP Greysen Carter, tallied an acceptable 4.08 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched last year, but over the summer, he recorded a 0.00 ERA over 14.1 innings in the Cape Cod League.
I trust the ‘Dores to start their season with a resounding home win against a rebuilding FAU squad.
College Baseball Pick Today: Vanderbilt -2.5 -115 at Hard Rock
West Virginia Mountaineers at Stetson Hatters
WVU: -180 | STET +140
WVU -2.5: +100 | STET +2.5: -130
Over 13.5: -115 | Under 13.5: -115
Game Time: 6:30 pm. ET
Odds via DraftKings
The West Virginia Mountaineers enter the 2024 college baseball season led by top prospect INF J.J. Wetherholt. The stud shortstop led all of college baseball with a .449 batting average last season to go with a 1.299 OPS. Wetherholt built on his strong season by recording a .978 OPS in the Cape Cod League. He now draws a road date with the Stetson Hatters.
On the mound for WVU is RHP Aidan Major, who put up a not-so-great 4.88 ERA over 48 innings pitched last season. He also got smacked for a 6.35 ERA in the Cape Cod League this summer. But Major will look to put 2023 in the past and return to his 2022 form this year. He recorded an impressive 3.49 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched that year.
Like FAU, Stetson lost some key talent in the 2023 MLB Draft. C Christian Pregent (.962 OPS) and ace RHP Austin Amaral (3.30 ERA) are gone. The Hatters haven’t announced a starting pitcher for today’s game, but the Hatters don’t have a returning starter with an ERA below 5. LHP Jonathan Gonzalez will make some noise this season, especially after recording a 2.53 ERA in the Cape Cod League, but he is expected to come out of the bullpen.
I like WVU to get started by plating some early runs today, keeping Gonzalez off the mound for another day. We’re also getting the Mountaineers at a one-run discount relative to the price at DraftKings.
College Baseball Pick Today: WVU -1.5 -120 at Hard Rock
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