2023 Men’s College World Series Preview

With the NCAA Baseball College World Series set to begin Friday, here’s a primer breaking down the field in Omaha:

TCU Horned Frogs

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +800
Game 1 vs. Oral Roberts Odds: -175 Favorites

Season Record:

• Overall: 42-22
• Neutral: 8-2
• Big 12: 13-11

Road to Omaha:

• Big 12 Tournament Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 2-seed Oklahoma State 12-5 in Final
• Fayetteville Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 1-seed (#3 National Seed) Arkansas 12-4 in Final
• Fort Worth Super Regional Champions: 2-0 record, defeat #14 National Seed Indiana State 6-4 in Final

At Bat: 3B Brayden Taylor is the well known superstar in the Frogs lineup, but it has been 1B Cole Fontenelle that has been the breakout star of the postseason. In the eight games played since the regular season ended, Fontenelle is hitting .483 with 13 runs scored and 10 RBI. The Frogs have mashed up and down the lineup, with power explosions from guys like Tre Richardson, Karson Bowen, and Kurtis Byrne bringing big run support that TCU will hope to continue in Omaha's Charles Schwab Field

On the Mound: Freshman Cole Klecker has become the go-to ace for the Horned Frogs this season - allowing an opponent batting average of just .209 while amassing a nice 69 Ks to just 28 walks. He tossed a pure gem in the Horned Frogs’ Super Regional win over Indiana State, with nine strikeouts in seven scoreless innings while allowing just four baserunners. He’ll get the ball for the first pitch of the College World Series looking to deliver a similar performance vs. Oral Roberts, as he’s been announced as the Game 1 starter.

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Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +2200
Game 1 vs. TCU Odds: +140 Underdogs

Season Record:

• Overall: 51-12
• Neutral: 7-1
• Summit League: 23-1

Road to Omaha:

• Summit League Regular Season Champions
• Summit League Tournament Champions: 3-0 record, defeat South Dakota State 12-4 in Final
• Stillwater Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 2-seed Dallas Baptist 6-5 in Final
• Eugene Super Regional Champions: 2-1 record, defeat Oregon 11-6 in Final

At Bat: The Golden Eagle offense can be deadly in a hurry, sporting seven regular starters with batting averages above .300 and 5 players with double-digit HRs. The unit is led by Jonah Cox who owns a .420 batting average and leads the nation in hits (110) and is riding a 47-game hit streak into Omaha.

On the Mound: ORU’s three primary starters all rank in the top-6 of strikeouts in the Summit League, led by Jakob Hall who will be getting the start against TCU on Friday. Hall is 14th nationally in K-BB ratio, at 6.07 - one spot below Indiana State’s Matt Jachec who struck out seven Frogs last Friday. In the NCAA Tournament, Hall hasn’t been as strong as his regular season performance; in his starts against Oklahoma State and Oregon, he allowed 5 runs on 12 hits with 6 Ks in just 7.2 innings of work.

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Florida Gators (#2 National Seed)

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +450
Game 1 vs. Virginia Odds: -135 Favorites

Season Record:

• Overall: 50-15
• Neutral: 3-1
• SEC: 20-10

Road to Omaha:

• SEC Regular Season Champions
• Gainesville Regional Champions: 4-1 record, defeat 3-seed Texas Tech 6-0 in Final
• Gainesville Super Regional Champions: 2-0 record, defeat #15 National Seed South Carolina 4-0 in Final

At Bat: If sitting in the outfield when the Gators are at the plate, keep your eyes open because they crush the longball - the 4th most HRs in college baseball. While Florida outfielder Wyatt Langfordis a top MLB prospect, two-way superstar Jac Caglianone leads the nation in homers, with 31 on the season contributing to a 1.163 OPS and top-15 slugging percentage.

On the Mound: Guess what, Jac Caglianone is also the Gators’ top pitcher. In 16 starts this season he’s allowed a miniscule .184 batting average, good for 9th nationally. Although not the guy to eat through a ton of innings for UF (only going 7 innings or more once this season), he can mow down batters in a hurry and turn the ball over to a bullpen that rarely gets burned.

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Virginia Cavaliers (#7 National Seed)

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +450
Game 1 vs. Florida Odds: +105 Underdog

Season Record:

• Overall: 50-13
• Neutral: 2-1
• ACC: 19-11

Road to Omaha:

• Charlottesville Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 2-seed East Carolina 8-3 in Final
• Charlottesville Super Regional Champions: 2-1 record, defeat Duke 12-2 in Final

At Bat: UVA leads the nation in batting average and hits, with 23 more hits than second-best Stanford. Cavaliers Catcher Kyle Teel leads the way with a .418 batting average, good for 8th nationally. Teel has been a menace in the NCAA Tournament, batting .458 with 11 hits, 4 free bases, 8 runs, 9 RBI, and a stolen base in the Hoos’ six tourney games.

On the Mound: A deep staff that sets up for a long stay in Omaha, especially if it can escape Florida in its opening matchup. With two starting pitchers in the top 55 in strikeout-walk ratio nationally, UVA is primed to go toe-to-toe with any lineup. Army transfer Connelly Early has been dealing in the Tournament; in his two starts (vs. ECU & Duke) Early has only surrendered just 2 earned runs across 13.1 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts! Early pitched Game 2 of the Super Regional and could be in line to face off against either TCU or ORU in Game 2 of the CWS.

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons (#1 National Seed)

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +275
Game 1 vs. Stanford Odds: -220

Season Record:

• Overall: 52-10
• Neutral: 7-1
• ACC: 22-7

Road to Omaha:

• ACC Regular Season Champions
• Winston-Salem Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 4-seed George Mason 15-1 in Final
• Winston-Salem Super Regional Champions: 2-0 record, defeat #16 National Seed Alabama 22-5

At Bat: As the top team entering the Tournament, Wake continues to score runs in bunches while absolutely dominating opponents, scoring 75 runs while sweeping its way through the Regional and Super Regional. With five players batting over .340 its hard to pick a single standout from the Demon Deacon offense, but we’ll highlight another mashing 3B, Brock Wilken. He crushed three HRs in the Super Regional finale win over Alabama and is just one long-ball behind Florida’s Caglianone atop the dinger rankings.

On the Mound: The staff out of Winston-Salem is simply absurd. As a team, Wake has the nation’s best ERA, the nation’s best batting average against, the most strikeouts in the nation. The starting rotation features 2 of the top 4 nationally in ERA and batting average as top-10 MLB prospect Rhett Lowder is joined by Seth Keener and Sean Sullivan to create the best starting rotation in baseball. Despite being on the “more difficult” side of the bracket, the Demon Deacons are still strong favorites to take home the Title.

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Stanford Cardinal (#8 National Seed)

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +1200
Game 1 vs. Wake Forest Odds: +180 Underdog

Season Record:

• Overall: 44-18
• Neutral: 1-2
• Pac-12: 23-7

Road to Omaha:

• Pac 12 Regular Season Champions
• Stanford Regional Champions: 4-1 record, defeat 2-seed Texas A&M in Final
• Stanford Super Regional Champions: 2-1 record, defeat Texas 7-6 in Final

At Bat: Despite the hilarious way in which the Cardinal won its Super Regional over Texas, Stanford does not simply rely on luck of outfielders losing the ball in the lights. Stanford ranks in the Top 10 in almost every hitting category: batting average, doubles, HRs, RBI, runs, slugging %, and OPS. However there is no player in the Top 20 of any category, spreading the wealth across the lineup with 8 players batting over .300 and six players with at least 14 homers. We’ll highlight Aberto Rios who was the hero in the Super Regional, scoring the walk-off run, but he’s been doing big things all season: leading the Cardinal in HR and 2B while hitting .387

On the Mound: If you hadn’t heard of him before, Quinn Mathews became the center of a national story as he pitched a complete game on 156 (!!) pitches in a Super Regional win over Texas where he struck out 16 Longhorns and held UT to just 3 runs. He’s second in the country in strikeouts while pitching the most innings in all of college baseball this season.

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LSU Tigers (#5 National Seed)

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +380
Game 1 vs. Tennessee Odds: -205 Favorite

Season Record:

• Overall: 48-15
• Neutral: 3-3
• SEC: 19-10

Road to Omaha:

• Baton Rouge Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 2-seed Oregon State 13-7 in Final
• Baton Rouge Super Regional Champions: 2-0 record, defeat #12 National Seed Kentucky 8-3 in Final

At Bat: The Tigers lineup features the absurd combo of Tommy “Tanks” White and Dylan Crews. Crews continues to live up to the hype as the #1 MLB Draft prospect, hitting .434 while making zero errors from Center Field. White has hit 22 HRs on the season, but has been mashing in the postseason, including 2 home runs in a Super Regional win over Kentucky.

On the Mound: LSU also has the pleasure of having the top MLB Draft pitching prospect, Golden Spikes finalist Paul Skenes who leads the nation in strikeouts, with 36 more Ks than Stanford’s Mathews in 2nd place. Skenes is Top 5 in opponent batting average (.170) and ERA (1.77). Outside of Skenes the staff is not as strong, but with the extreme star power, the Tigers are a major threat to reach the Final.

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Tennessee Volunteers

DraftKings Sportsbook Odds:
CWS Championship Odds: +750
Game 1 vs. LSU Odds: +165 Underdog

Season Record:

• Overall: 43-20
• Neutral: 3-2
• SEC: 16-14

Road to Omaha:

• Clemson Regional Champions: 3-0 record, defeat 3-seed Charlotte 9-2 in Final
• Hattiesburg Super Regional Champions: 2-1 record, defeat Southern Miss 5-0 in Final

At Bat: UT does not have any regular starters hitting over .325, but do have eight players with OPS at .900 or better as the Vols work walks and hit-by-pitches at a high rate while also mashing extra-base hits when they are getting hits. This is most represented by 2B Christian Moore, leading the team with 50 walks and a 1.085 OPS while hitting 17 homers and 12 doubles.

On the Mound: The Vols have a pair of strikeout kings in Chase Burns and Chase Dollander, both with over 100 strikeouts, but also both with ERAs over 4.50. Dollander is a Top 10 MLB prospect and can have shut down performances, but has also had rough outings where the runs accumulate. He did have perhaps his best game of the season in the Hattiesburg Super Regional, going 8 innings and striking out 7 in the win over Southern Miss.

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The College World Series will begin with TCU vs. Oral Roberts on Friday at 1PM Central on ESPN and ESPN+.

NCAA.com