This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt, College Baseball
Best Bets Expert Picks, April 28
A little Sunday action on deck. It's been a little bit of a tough weekend for me, but let's see if we can end it on a high note.
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Mississippi State Bulldogs (+150) @ Vanderbilt Commodores (-195) | Total: N/A
I missed on this game on Friday. Khal Stephen wasn't bad at all for the Dawgs, but a couple early homers got them down. Bryce Cunningham, of course, had the best start of his career with a complete-game shutty. Hopped on Vandy yesterday with the pitching advantage with Carter Holton going, but they lost. Even though I've been off on the series, I feel confident I have the right side for Sunday.
You know who's going for Mississippi State. Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitching stud. I've highlighted him a couple times this year, so you should be a little familiar with him. Cijntje's been very good in 2024, pitching to a 3.50 ERA and a 69:23 K:BB ratio across 54 innings. It's been a bit of a mixed bag on the road for Jurrangelo. He was roughed up at Texas A&M in March, but that's a great team, and it really was Braden Montgomery who did the damage. He was fantastic at Florida. And he wasn't sharp at Ole Miss, but he also was fighting some tightness in his back.
Vandy's astonishing 23-4 home record definitely makes it a tough out with the series on the line, but the ambidextrous star is a huge advantage for a series-deciding contest, especially since he's been the Saturday guy for the last few weeks. The Commodores have a solid offense, so Jurrangelo will have to continue mixing his pitches, and command the strike zone. Limiting baserunners can definitely swing in favor of Miss. State since Vandy is a great base-stealing squad. Tune into the switch-pitcher while you can, his stock is rising!
For the Vandy Boys, there's been no designation on who is getting the start. There's a few different options like Greyson Carter, Devin Futrell, J.D. Thompson or Ethan McElvain, but we won't know until closer to first pitch. This is one of the challenges trying to cap this sport. Futrell was actually the Sunday guy to start the year, but has struggled mightily, so he's not seen that much weekend work recently. There are plenty of arms in this Vandy pen, so no point in speculating. Whoever is throwing will have to deal with a pesky Bulldog lineup that features a monster batting cleanup in Hunter Hines. Hines went nuclear yesterday going 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBI. You also have to worry about Dakota Jordan, the guy they call "Baby Bo." A player who has a lot of juice to be a first-rounder this summer.
It's tough to win a series at Vandy, but there's not only a pitching advantage for Miss. State, but the price is out of whack. You're telling me even though the books don't officially know who is throwing, they're laying Vandy at -195 just because they're at home? Doesn't make sense to me. Jurrangelo Cijntje pitching today as opposed to yesterday is a huge deal. I'm high on State this season, and this is a big one they need to win.
Pick: Mississippi State ML +150
