We’re going to analyze the 2023 College World Series (CWS) futures odds and predict the winner of the tournament. The 2023 NCAA Division 1 baseball tournament is scheduled for June 16th-26th.
College Baseball Betting Sites
What is the College World Series?
At the end of the season, there’s an NCAA Division 1 baseball tournament featuring 64 teams. These teams are split into 16 groups of four for the Regionals with one team from each group advancing.
The remaining 16 teams play in the Super Regionals, which is a best-of-three series against one team with the winner of the series advancing to the College World Series.
The last eight teams remaining in the NCAA Division 1 baseball tournament compete in the CWS.
There are two brackets with four teams in the CWS. The format is double-elimination, single game series until one team from each bracket advances to the CWS Finals, which is a best-of-three series.
Top Contenders to Win the 2023 College World Series
Ole Miss won the 2022 College World Series. The last back-to-back winner of the CWS was South Carolina (2010 and 2011). Since then, we’ve had nine different programs win in ten seasons.
Here are the top contenders to win the 2023 College World Series:
LSU Tigers (+550)
LSU went 40-22 last year, but finished the year ranked #25 after being eliminated by Southern Miss. in the Hattiesburg Regional. This team should make it to Omaha in June with the talent they have.
Dylan Crews (22 HRs and 72 RBIs in 2022) is projected to go #1 in this year’s MLB Draft. Tommy White (27 HRs and 74 RBIs) transferred from NC State and will give LSU more power in the batting order.
Tennessee Volunteers (+650)
Tennessee went 57-9 last year and finished the year ranked #9. The Volunteers advanced out of the Knoxville Regional, but lost to Notre Dame in the Super Regionals last year.
Stanford Cardinal (+1000)
Stanford finished last year ranked #5 despite only having a record of 47-18. They advanced out of the Stanford Regional, defeated UConn in the Super Regional, but lost both of their CWS games.
Ole Miss (+1000)
Ole Miss won the National Championship last year, but they only had a 42-23 record. The Rebels entered last year’s tournament unranked, but were able to go on a run, defeating Oklahoma in the CWS Finals.
2023 College World Series Predictions
Best Bet: Louisville Cardinals (+4000)
You want to target value when betting on 2023 College World Series futures. Louisville finished last year with a 42-21-1 record and ranked #12. They lost to Texas A&M in the Super Regional in 2022.
Louisville almost always loses talent to the MLB and that was no different in 2022. Five players from last year’s team were drafted, but the Cardinals had the #3 ranked recruiting class last year to fill any holes.
The Cardinals will hit for less power, but guys like Jack Payton (.350 BA), Christian Knapczyk (.348 BA) and Isaac Humphrey (.328 BA) get on base a lot and will score lots of runs.
Pitching was a problem at times last year and that could be the case again, as Louisville lost their top starting pitcher (Jared Poland) and bullpen pitcher (Michael Prosecky), but they return some strong arms.
Once the NCAA baseball tournament starts anything can happen and Louisville are a talented team. Getting them at 40/1 to win the National Championship is a great value futures bet.
2023 College World Series Futures Betting Lines
Here are the complete betting odds to win the 2023 College World Series:
LSU +550
Tennessee +650
Stanford +1000
Ole Miss +1000
Arkansas +1200
Vanderbilt +1400
Florida +1600
Texas A&M +1800
Oregon State +2500
Texas +3300
North Carolina +3300
Oklahoma State +3300
Virginia +3800
Oklahoma +3800
Wake Forest +4000
UCLA +4000
Notre Dame +4000
Louisville +4000
Auburn +5000
Arizona +5000
TCU +5000
Virginia Tech +6600
Oregon +6600
North Carolina State +6600
Mississippi State +6600
Miami FL +6600
Southern Mississippi +7500
Texas Tech +7500
UC Santa Barbara +10000
Georgia Tech +10000
East Carolina +10000
Alabama +10000
Maryland +10000
Gonzaga +10000
Clemson +10000
Florida State +10000
Baylor +20000
Michigan +20000
Kentucky +20000
