This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
Odds to Make 2025 College World Series
It's finally the week College Baseball starts! I've been twiddling my thumbs waiting for this time to start, and we're just about there. Last week, I published my favorite plays for regular season conference winners. As we move on down the board, we're picking my Omaha 8 to start off the week.
"To Make the College World Series" is another new market offered (in its second year). It's a market to determine who will be one of the final eight teams in June. Because it's new, the odds aren't really as good as you would hope. Sportsbooks have made it tricky to find value for this wager. Still there are some teams to highlight before first pitch. Let's take a look at my Omaha-bound squads.
All odds via DraftKings. Check out the DraftKings college baseball offering this season and cash in on the DraftKings promo code for a Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets offer.
Team to Make 2025 CWS Odds
- Tennessee -105
- LSU +110
- Texas A&M +120
- North Carolina +190
- Virginia +190
- Arkansas +210
- Oregon State +250
- Florida State +250
- Florida +250
- Clemson +280
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Picks to make College World Series
Texas A&M Aggies +120
You saw my preview on this team for the SEC Conference write-up. I'm locked and loaded on the Aggies in 2025. The team is slated to be the Avengers of College Baseball in their revenge tour after losing to Tennessee in the finals last season.
This offense is going to flirt with the Vols' 184 homer mark from last year. The lineup is outrageous. Gavin Grahovac (a top five pick in '26), Jace LaViolette (possible top pick this summer), Gavin Kash, and Wyatt Henseler as the top four hitters may combine for over 100 taters by themselves. There are virtually no weak spots in this offense even with the loss of Braden Montgomery. It's realistic to see this team have at least five 20-homer guys. It will be the bread and butter of any title run they make.
On the mound, they return one of the top arms from 2024 in Ryan Prager, who dealt for a 2.95 ERA, 9-1 record, and 124 K/20 BB in 97.1 IP. Junior Justin Lamkin is due for a progression as a cross-fire lefty with a mid 90's heater and biting slider. He could see himself as a second-rounder this summer. They also picked up LHP Myles Patton from Longbeach State (3.26 ERA, 85 K/24 BB ratio in 66.1 IP) for the Sunday role. Plus Senior LHP Troy Wansing returns after missing virtually all of 2024.
The pitching has a lot of depth even without LHP Shane Sdao, who has first-round potential. How the bullpen replaces top relievers Chris Cortez and Evan Aschenbeck will be interesting, but they are seven arms deep, which is always a must to make a deep run.
Even in a loaded SEC, the Aggies are likely to be a top eight national seed, which ensures a home series in the Regionals and Super Regionals, giving teams an edge in June. In a sport of uncertainty, Texas A&M is probably the most "sure" team you can take.
LSU Tigers +110
LSU is also in "Tier 1" for me in terms of top talent in the nation. In a "down" year where they got bounced in an epic UNC Region, this could be one of the best teams HC Jay Johnson has had in his tenure as skipper. Bringing in three of the top 10 freshmen in the 2027 draft class, he's set up with a great mix of young players, newcomers, and veterans with a loaded roster.
Like the Aggies, I expect LSU to be in the mix for one of those top eight national seeds. Because of so much new talent, it could take a few weeks for the true stars to reveal themselves, which could in turn help the lineup and weekend rotation sort itself out.
The offense will be sick no doubt. They brought in a stalwart backstop from Indiana State in Luis Hernandez (23 homers, .359 avg). A stud in Daniel Dickinson from Utah Valley (18 homers, 32 stolen bases, and a .367 avg). Dalton Beck came over from Incarnate Word (.377 avg, 18 homers).
That's in addition to Jared "Bear" Jones and his 28 homers last season, who may be a first-rounder this summer. As well as Steven "Monster" Milam, who was a huge late-season catalyst (.326 average, 12 doubles). That doesn't include big-time freshman OF Derek Curiel (#1 OF in CA) who batted .388 in the Fall. This only covers a little more than half of LSU's powerful and deep offense.
The pitching lost anchors Luke Holman and Gage Jump, but they brought in Anthony Eyanson (85 K/24 BB, 3.07 ERA in 82 IP at UC San Diego) and Zac Cowan (124 K/29 BB, 3.60 ERA in 110 IP at Wofford) to help lock down part of the rotation. Punchout artist Kade Anderson returns from a solid 59 K in 38.1 IP in 2024.
And my personal favorite, Chase Shores is making his long-awaited return from Tommy John two years ago. Shores is the guy I really love. I think if he fixes some of the command issues he had, he could be the first arm off the board this summer. That doesn't even mention freshman phenom William Schmidt, who's got top-five written all over him for 2027.
LSU's pitching is easily eight arms deep this year, which was one of the big catalysts that helped them win it all in 2023. There's so much talent and depth on both sides of the ball that once the Tigers figure out their formula, they will be one of the best teams in the country.
Tennessee Volunteers -105
Anytime you win it all, I do believe it's hard to get back the next season. Especially for a team like Tennessee that lost so much of its firepower from last season. Just to name a few Christian Moore, Blake Burke, and Billy Amick who did so much damage last June are all gone.
But HC Tony Vitello is one of the best in the game for a reason. He brought in 3B Andrew Fischer from Ole Miss and 2B Gavin Kilen from Louisville, two huge bats to stabilize what's going to be a great offense again.
The guy who is expected to make a monster jump as a potential first-rounder this July is SS Dean Curley, who is likely to obliterate last season's more limited output of 12 homers and a .285 average. The Vols brought back some guys that didn't get as much playing time a season ago, but are all ready for the task at hand.
The pitching is where this team has always specialized. Even though they lost Drew Beam, AJ Causey, Zander Sechrist, and Aaron Combs, they replenished with Ole Miss' Liam Doyle (72 K's/18 BB in 45.1 IP), Brandon Arvison (San Jacinto College), and Tegan Kuhns (#1 RHP in PA). Plus high leverage X-Factor arm Nate Snead expects to have an even bigger role in 2025 as a weekend piece (3.11 ERA).
On paper, the Vols don't look as good as some of these other teams, but doubting Tony V would be a mistake. This team replenishes talent as well as anybody.
Virginia Cavaliers +190
UVA rounds out my "Tier 1" teams. I love me some Cavaliers this spring. Like Texas A&M, the lineup will threaten as the nation's best with virtually no weaknesses 1-9. UVA may not have a hitter that bats below .300, making it a brutal task for opposing pitchers. Of course, my Golden Spikes candidate, Henry Ford, will anchor that charge.
Ford went nuts as a freshman (.336 avg, 17 homers). As a draft-eligible sophomore, he'll hear his name called very early in July. C Jacob Ference is one of the top catchers in the country (.350 avg, 17 homers). Henry Godbout and Harrison Didawick are also monster contributors at the top of the lineup. The big pickup from the portal was Juco's Chris Arroyo who had 19 blasts, a .403 average, and a 3.53 ERA a season ago. With the offense UVA has, they'll be ranking top 10 in virtually every meaningful category.
The pitching was always the bugaboo of this team that handicapped them a bit. This year HC Brian O'Connor believes he has his best pitching in a long time. Junior LHP Evan Blanco starred in the Omaha run last season (3.62 ERA, 99 K/27 BB in 99.1 IP), so he'll command the Friday night role. Jack O'Connor returns after missing most of 2024 with injury. Arroyo figures to slot in as a Sunday guy. The bullpen is also pretty deep, especially since the Cavs brought in two freshman southpaws in Tomas Valincius and William Kirk, both were the #1 LHP in their respective states.
UVA should be the class of the ACC in 2025. It would be a surprise to see them not get a national seed when it's all said and done.
North Carolina Tarheels +190
While I do love UVA, we can't sleep on the Tarheels. They may have lost their entire starting outfield from last year, including superstar CF Vance Honeycutt, but HC Scott Forbes hammered the portal and replaced it with all high-level dudes.
Tyson Bass, Kane Kepley, and Rom Kellis combined for almost 50 homers last year at their respective schools. Each of them hit .330 or better and stole 20+ bases. They also bring back top backstop Luke Stevenson, who may be the first catcher off the board this summer. Filling in across the lineup are several big contributors to the 2024 Omaha team. The UNC lineup has a lot of firepower, so I would expect them to once against be among the better offenses in 2025.
On the mound is where I think they separate themselves. Jason DeCaro was a monster as a frosh last season (3.81 ERA, .221 OBA). He's got top five juice for the 2026 class. Jake Knapp missed all of 2024 with Tommy John, but he's extremely talented, so his presence will be a welcome sight for this weekend rotation. Folger Boaz had success early last year in the Friday night role, but a UCL injury cut his season short. He'll be a key piece for them in 2025. The bullpen is also four-six quality arms deep.
The talent is there for UNC to make another Omaha run this year, especially because of the arms they have. We should see this team host another region under Forbes.
Georgia Bulldogs +300
The UGA Bulldogs were a nice surprise last season, just getting edged out in their own Super Regional against NC State. Obviously they lost a lot of power in Charlie Condon and Corey Collins, but Wes Johnson went to work retooling this team for an even bigger run in 2025.
Most of the lineup consists of newcomers, but the main returner is 1st rounder prospect Tre Phelps and his .353 average and 12 home runs. Likely to be one of the top players in the country, Phelps is set to carry this UGA team. The Dawgs went out and got OF Devin Obee from Duke (16 Homers, .309 average) and OF Nolan McCarthy from Kentucky (.288 average, eight homers, and 12 doubles). 2B Ryan Black from UT Arlington is expected to blow up this year (.278 average, 21 doubles) as a newcomer. UGA has a lot of juice this season on offense that's expected to be a lot deeper than last season when it was carried by the top of the order.
The pitching was the problem last season, but Leighton Finley (3.68 SIERA) and Kolten Smith (1.95 SIERA) are back to head what should be a much improved weekend rotation. The bullpen got way better with Alabama's closer Alton Davis coming over. Davis had a down 2024 but was stellar in 2023. As a lefty with a dangerous high 90's fastball/sharp slider combo, this should be a game-changer in Athens.
All of the new talent is a welcome sign this year. Johnson is building a powerhouse in Athens, so the expectation is this team takes another step from last year. The value on this team at 3/1 is crazy, which is being recognized since they were 4/1 to make Omaha more recently. UGA is definitely in play to be hosting a region this spring. The dogs will be barking.
Texas Longhorns +290
Jim Schlossnagle took over a blue-blood program, and brought star pitching coach Max Weiner with him from Texas A&M. Coming over from the Big 12 to the SEC, they needed coaches with some pedigree. Aside from that, there's a ton of talent on this roster.
Offensively, I would expect the Longhorns to be one of the top offenses in the nation in 2025. Led by 1st round talent, OF Max Belyeu, it's a lineup with a lot of depth. Belyeu (one of my main Golden Spikes candidates) went nuts last season with a .329 average, 18 homers, and 15 doubles, but would think he blows those numbers out of the water this year. SS Jalin Flores (.340 avg, 18 homers, 22 doubles) should be a name heard in the first round this summer too. The guy who could make a big jump is 6'6" athletic freak, CF Will Gasparino (12 homers, 13 doubles). The Texas offense has serious star power this season, so they should be scoring a lot of runs.
The pitching is completely revamped from a year ago. They brought in LHP Jared Spencer from Indiana State (3.35 SIERA, 72 K's in 53 IP) to head the staff. Grayson Saunier (Ole Miss), Ruger Riojas (UTSA), Kade Bing (JUCO), and Thomas Burns (ASU) are all new acquisitions from the portal that figure to be key members.
With Weiner running the staff, look for the Horns to be able to match high octane hitting with pitching. Because they're in a new conference, Texas will be challenged early, but I believe they will be up to the task. It's strong value on this squad to be a final eight team.
Clemson Tigers +280
I wasn't as high on Clemson last year, but I like them a lot this season. Despite a handful of key losses, HC Erik Bakich was able to hit the portal and address key needs.
It all starts with CF Cam Cannarella who made waves in the Super Regional last year against Florida for his unbelievable heroics. Cam is fully healthy this year after battling a torn labrum all season. Even in a down year he managed a .337 average, 11 homers, and 16 doubles, not to mention Gold Glove defense.
The Tigers brought in SS Josh Paino from Cal Baptist (11 homers, 18 doubles, and '23 WAC Defensive player of the Year). Collin Priest from Michigan and Dominic Listi from Indiana State also figure to be big parts of the order. Clemson will rely on returning OF Tristan Bissetta to rebound after a down year where had batted .291 with seven homers and seven doubles.1B Luke Gaffney should also slot in the middle of the order (.359 average, 12 homers, 15 doubles). There's a lot of firepower in this Clemson lineup, so look for them to be major players this season.
The pitching has one of the top Friday arms in Aidan Knack, a likely top-five pitcher off the board in 2026. For Clemson to take a big step this year, Knack needs to continue the dominance he showed in 2024 (3.35 ERA, 108 K/29 BB in 83.1 IP). LHP Ethan Darden needs to be better as well (3.66 SIERA). Michael Gillen coming over from Seton Hall is a big pick up ( 3.26 SIERA, 43 K/14 BB in 39 innings). This team should have a pretty solid weekend rotation with a handful of nice bullpen arms.
I know better than to count out Clemson. A lot of people are down on them this year, but I'm not. I have them as one of the better teams in the ACC. And if they get to host a Regional again, they get very frisky in June. The number you're getting is pretty solid as well.
