This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
College Baseball Picks Today: Friday, April 11
It's a brand new week here as we get ready to dive into the College Baseball slate. The board is stocked like a trout pond with delicious matchups for us to feast on all weekend. For this Friday, we'll head to the midwest.
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Vanderbilt Commodores (-155) @ Oklahoma Sooner (+125) | Total: 11.5
The SEC is littered with talented pitchers. While we usually get a lot of great battles between them, I can't help but feel deprived when we miss out. That happened when Oklahoma's usually Friday stud ace, Kyson Witherspoon, had his start pushed back to Saturday out of precaution. It would have been JD Thompson vs. Witherspoon, a battle between two future first rounders, but what can you do?
Thompson is a guy I've highlighted since the preseason as one of my top five arms that could climb draft boards for 2025. He definitely hasn't been as good as I expected, but he's still a stud that gives Vandy a chance to win every time out. The 4.10 ERA is a bit bloated thanks to a couple of poor starts where he allowed five earned runs(Arkansas and Auburn). The swing and miss is still there (50 K's in 41.2 innings).
Oklahoma's offense has improved a bit, but it's not a unit I would give favorable comps to Georgia. Batting .282 with 36 homers is nothing special. Their trademark is wreaking havoc on the bases (74 steals in 88 tries) as they try to always grab the extra 90 feet. Against good pitching, OU has been stymied. They were held to four runs in three games last week against LSU, and Vandy is stocked with arms. After Thompson, they bring in a special 1-2 pen punch in Sawyer Hawks and Miller Green, one of the best duos in the country.
With Witherspoon out, it creates a wrinkle. It's presumed that lefty Cade Crossland will move up from Saturday to Friday. His 7.06 ERA is the result of some vicious beatings this year against LSU, Mississippi State, and DBU. While Vandy doesn't pose an elite offense, there's definitely a lot of talent and timely hitting.
Oklahoma and Vandy are extremely similar teams with near identical make-ups. Its almost like looking in a mirror. At the end of the day though, we have a huge pitching advantage with Vandy, so that's not something we can ignore.
Pick: Vandy ML -155 (Bet 365)
