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College World Series Finals: Betting info, TV time, projected starters for Game 1
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There are just 2 teams left standing in Omaha. The College World Series Finals get underway on Saturday with No. 3 seed Texas A&M battling the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers.
With an all-SEC final, a fifth consecutive national champion will be crowned from the conference. This is also the third time in the last 4 seasons that both teams competing in the championship series are from the SEC. And if you include Oklahoma and Texas within the calculus, the SEC has supplied 22 of the last 32 teams to make the championship series. Since the 2008 season, at least 1 current SEC team has featured in the finals all but 1 time.
Both of these schools are 3-0 at the CWS. Tennessee is looking to become the first No. 1 seed to win the CWS since Miami in 1999.
Tennessee and Texas A&M are also both seeking their programs’ first national championship.
“It does seem odd, doesn’t it?” said Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle, per ESPN. “You look at the coaches, players, and history, especially recent history of us and them and you’d think one of us would have won this at some point along the way.”
For one, that reality will soon change. Both of these teams have, in essence, been barreling toward each other all season. Tennessee has gone 58-12 to reach this stage, and it has only lost once since the postseason began — a 10-8 defeat to Evansville in Game 2 of the Super Regionals. Texas A&M is 52-13, and it hasn’t lost a single game (8-0) since a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Vols in the SEC Tournament.
That meeting in Hoover was the only prior meeting between the 2 this season. They went a combined 41-19 against the rest of the SEC.
Now, it’s first to 2.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best-of-3 series.
TV info for Game 1
First pitch: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ESPN
Where to stream: ESPN+
Betting info for Game 1
(All odds via DraftKings unless otherwise noted)
Run Line: Tennessee -1.5 (-115), Texas A&M +1.5 (-115)
Total: over 11.5 (-120), under 11.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Tennessee -180, Texas A&M +140
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CLAIM OFFERProjected starters for Game 1
Ryan Prager (9-1, 2.88 ERA) will start for the Aggies in Game 1 against Tennessee. He was fantastic in A&M’s win over Kentucky to begin play at the CWS, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finishing with 4 strikeouts in 6.2 innings of shutout pitching.
Chris Stamos (3-0, 4.26 ERA) will start for the Volunteers. That means stasis for the Tennessee rotation, as the combination of Stamos and AJ Causey has been the typical go-to for UT coach Tony Vitello. Stamos has had a quick hook during the postseason, though. He recorded only 1 out with an earned run on May 31 against Northern Kentucky. He lasted 1.1 innings on June 7 against Evansville, giving up 2 earned. And he was again replaced by Causey in the first inning of UT’s CWS opener against Florida State on June 14.
Causey (13-3, 4.21 ERA) was similarly roughed up by Florida State, giving up 5 hits and 5 earned in 1.2 innings before being replaced. He went 6.2 in relief of Stamos against Northern Kentucky, and he went 4.2 in relief of Stamos against Evansville. In those 2 appearances prior to the FSU game, Causey fanned 17 combined batters while walking 3 and giving up 8 hits.
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Prop to consider
Saturday’s Game 1 is expected to feature 10-15 mph winds blowing out to center field, providing a potential edge to batters in a park that has historically favored pitchers.
While Tennessee is 9-1 since adopting the Stamos/Causey pairing, there’s no denying that Stamos has struggled more and more in the postseason. A&M has outscored opponents 5-0 through the first 3 innings at the CWS thus far.
At the time of publication, DraftKings is offering Texas A&M -0.5 through the first 3 innings at +175 odds.
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CLAIM OFFER
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
