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Tennessee vs. Texas A&M betting preview: Projected pitching matchups, analysis for Game 3
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Tennessee and Texas A&M will play for the national championship on Monday night in Omaha.
After Texas A&M cruised to a Game 1 win on Saturday, Tennessee responded with a 4-1 victory against the Aggies on Sunday to even the series. Both programs are looking for their first-ever national championships in baseball.
Both teams will be sending out quality starting pitchers on Monday night and each have strong bullpen arms available as reinforcements if needed.
Here’s a look at the projected pitching matchups and betting lines for Game 2:
Tennessee vs. Texas A&M betting lines (via DraftKings)
Run line: Tennessee -1.5 (-145) | Texas A&M +1.5 (+114)
Money line: Tennessee -245 | Texas A&M +185
Total: Over 10.5 (-110) | Under 10.5 (-120)
For the third day in a row, Tennessee is a substantial favorite over the Aggies. On the money line, Tennessee was a -188 favorite in Game and a -210 favorite in Game 2. The Aggies had a significant pitching advantage in Game 1 but were still underdogs in that contest (although they ended up winning 9-5).
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GET THE APPTennessee vs. Texas A&M projected pitchers
Tennessee projected pitcher: Zander Sechrist | 3.22 ERA in 72.2 innings | 69 strikeouts | 15 walks
Zander Sechrist is expected to be on the bump when Tennessee plays for the national title on Monday night. Sechrist has consistently performed as one of the nation’s best starting pitchers since the end of the regular season. Including his SEC Tournament start against Vanderbilt, Sechrist has limited opponents to just 4 earned runs over 23.1 innings of work in the postseason. He’s pitched at least 6 frames in 3 of his 4 postseason starts as well.
Sechrist will be pitching on 4 days rest on Monday night. He threw 76 pitches in Tennessee’s win over Florida State back on June 19. He was dominant against the Noles, allowing just 2 earned runs and 5 hits over 6.1 innings of work.
As for Tennessee’s bullpen, Aaron Combs threw 63 pitches over 4 innings in the Vols’ win on Sunday, so his availability on Monday night will be in question. Closer Nate Snead also made his first appearance of the championship series on Sunday, but he tossed only 15 pitches in the win. With the possible exception of Combs, Tennessee should have its full bullpen available on Monday night.
Texas A&M projected pitcher: Justin Lamkin | 5.00 ERA in 63 innings | 86 strikeouts | 20 walks
Justin Lamkin was in contention to get the start in Saturday’s game, but the Aggies instead decided to save him for a possible Game 3. Lamkin has already pitched twice in Omaha, shutting down Florida’s star-studded lineup in 2 separate appearances this past week.
Lamkin has great swing-and-miss stuff but had seemingly fallen out of Texas A&M’s postseason rotation before being thrust into action in the Aggies’ opener in Omaha. He kept Florida scoreless over 8 innings in 2 matchups against the Gators during the College World Series, but has done little else during the postseason. He enters Monday night’s game with only 3 appearances on his résumé since May 17. His other outing lasted just 0.1 innings, during which he conceded 2 runs to Louisiana.
Texas A&M’s bullpen is in a good spot heading into Monday. The Aggies almost certainly won’t have Chris Cortez, who threw 99 pitches in relief on Sunday. But Evan Aschenbeck and Josh Stewart both got the day off on Sunday after pitching quite a bit in Game 1, so they will be leaned upon heavily if Lamkin gets into trouble. Brad Rudis is another bullpen arm that could be used on Monday night, as is Sunday’s starter Zane Badmaev. He pitched just 1 inning before being lifted on Sunday, so it’s plausible he’ll be available again in the series finale.
Tennessee vs. Texas A&M: 1 prop pick
Justin Lamkin under 5.5 strikeouts (-130 on DraftKings)
Lamkin can miss bats, but I’m skeptical that he’ll throw enough innings in this game to get to 6 strikeouts. With Aschenbeck, Stewart and other capable bullpen arms rested and ready to go for multi-inning outings if necessary, Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle likely won’t hesitate to pull Lamkin from the game if he gets into trouble in the early innings.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
