2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament Preview:
While it lacks the same national prominence associated with its big brother’s March Madness, college baseball’s postseason tournament is officially underway following Selection Monday. As expected, it was a day dominated by the SEC.
Let’s take a look at the field of 64 and all the betting options.
Seeding
Here are the 16 regional sites listed in alphabetical order. The top eight national seeds are in position to also host a two-team super regional, with the winners there moving on to the CWS in Omaha.
National seed is listed next to the regional host.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
Athens Regional
Georgia (7) +1000
Binghamton +10000
Oklahoma State +15000
Duke +7000
Winner will face winner of Oxford Regional
Auburn Regional
Auburn (4) +1500
Central Connecticut +100000
Stetson +50000
NC State +8000
Winner will face winner of Conway Regional
Austin Regional
Texas (2) +1800
Houston Christian +100000
Kansas State +15000
UTSA +9000
Winner will face winner of Los Angeles Regional
Baton Rouge Regional
LSU (6) +650
Arkansas-Little Rock +100000
Rhode Island +100000
Dallas Baptist +3500
Winner will face winner of Clemson Regional
Chapel Hill Regional
North Carolina (5) +950
Holy Cross +100000
Nebraska +25000
Oklahoma +9000
Winner will face winner of Eugene Regional
Clemson Regional
Clemson (11) +4000
USC Upstate +30000
Kentucky +10000
West Virginia +10000
Winner will face winner of Baton Rouge Regional
Conway Regional
Coastal Carolina (13) +2500
Fairfield +100000
East Carolina +50000
Florida +4000
Winner will face winner of Auburn Regional
Corvallis Regional
Oregon State (8) +4000
Saint Mary’s +50000
USC +20000
TCU +3500
Winner will face winner of Tallahassee Regional
Eugene Regional
Oregon (12) +1800
Utah Valley +70000
Cal Poly +20000
Arizona +7000
Winner will face winner of Chapel Hill Regional
Fayetteville Regional
Arkansas (3) +475
North Dakota State +100000
Creighton +20000
Kansas +10000
Winner will face winner of Knoxville Regional
Hattiesburg Regional
Southern Mississippi (16) +8000
Columbia +90000
Miami +15000
Alabama +8000
Winner will face winner of Nashville Regional
Knoxville Regional
Tennessee (14) +700
Miami (Ohio) +100000
Cincinnati +25000
Wake Forest +10000
Winner will face winner of Fayetteville Regional
Los Angeles Regional
UCLA (15) +3000
Fresno State +50000
Arizona State +10000
UC Irvine +10000
Winner will face winner of Austin Regional
Nashville Regional
Vanderbilt (1) +1200
Wright State +50000
East Tennessee State +8000
Louisville +10000
Winner will face winner of Hattiesburg Regional
Oxford Regional
Ole Miss (10) +4000
Murray State +70000
Western Kentucky +15000
Georgia Tech +4500
Winner will face winner of Athens Regional
Tallahassee Regional
Florida State (9) +3000
Bethune-Cookman +100000
Mississippi State +5000
Northeastern +7000
Winner will face winner of Corvallis Regional
For those currently holding futures tickets, the tournament’s double-elimination and best-of-three format creates specific opportunities to monetize tickets. Of course, whenever that term is used, respect must be directed towards Circa VP Mike Palm, who coined the phrase. He is the Rod Dedeaux of monetizing tickets.
Super Delegates
A main aspect of handicapping college baseball futures throughout the regular season was to create a portfolio centered around the SEC. With a historic 13 squads in the field and eight regional hosts (up from five a year ago), it once again places this mega-conference on its way to sending more than a few schools to Omaha.
If a book sets a total of 4.5 SEC teams to make the CWS, I would nab the Over.
LSU was the team I recommended in the preseason and throughout. I’m still very bullish on the Tigers (+650) after they showed off the top of their rotation in Hoover. They did so without a desire to win the conference tournament.
Arkansas spent the last month of the regular season as the short favorite and stays in that position (+475) with most sportsbooks. Don’t be too concerned with the Razorbacks’ early departure from the SEC tournament. In fact, that might be of value to Dave Van Horn’s group, who got a little extra rest prior to kicking off the Fayetteville Regional.
The one area to monitor is ace Zach Root. In his last two starts, the lefthander has struggled somewhat. He couldn’t make it out of the fourth inning against Tennessee, and then in Hoover, he got the loss against Mississippi, giving up seven hits in four innings (five runs, but only one earned).
I am never one to advocate for the roll-over parlay. Remember, those make the bettor work harder. However, for those who don’t already have Arkansas in their portfolio, consider doing it now.
It creates more flexibility to wager on the Razorbacks to win their regional (which they easily should), then a home super-regional, then roll that over when the eight-team CWS futures board is announced. If Arkansas gets there, ultimately, a bettor doing the roll-over parlay will be positioned to bet on the winner of the championship series.
Last week, Vanderbilt was listed at over 20-1. After winning the SEC tournament title, that number is long gone. Still, the current 12-1 on the Commodores is worth a play for those looking to diversify their futures portfolios or make an initial investment. Vandy is one of the about 10 teams that could win it all.
At 12-1, there is room to monetize a ticket for the No.1 overall seed.
Pitching is a concern for Vandy, not that it lacks it. In fact, Tim Corbin has one of the best all-around collections of arms in the country. However, this team relies primarily on pitching and strikeouts. The Vandy Boys as a team hit for a .270 batting average with just 62 home runs. That puts them in the middle of the road for SEC production. Offense is vital, more so than pitching, in Omaha when the changing winds and humidity can alter play at Charles Schwab Field.
Tennessee will attempt to be the first team to go back-to-back in the CWS since South Carolina did with its win in 2011. Tony Vitello once again has offensive weapons, but the current 7-1 is lacking value because it is based too much on last year’s accomplishments.
Auburn and Texas are positioned very well with Top 4 national seeds.
The Tigers’ region being tied to the Conway Regional very well gets them in the CWS.
The Longhorns have dropped seven of their last 10 SEC games and won’t have star pitcher Jared Spencer. The good news is they recently got Max Belyeu back in the lineup.
Georgia, and its propensity to crush the long ball, especially at home, make them hard to beat in Athens.
Interestingly, one SEC squad not in the field of 64 is Texas A&M, the preseason No.1 team in the country.
Second in Command
The ACC, which sent four teams to Omaha last year, welcomes nine in the 2025 field. In terms of participants and potential to win it all, the ACC remains in the shadow of the SEC.
UNC has the best odds of any team outside the SEC. Arkansas and LSU deserve that top billing, but the Diamond Heels +950 is a better value than Tennessee’s current 7-1.
UNC is riding high off its ACC championship and can trot two aces to the mound in Jake Knapp and Jason DeCaro and a very solid No.3 in Aidan Haugh.
Ultimately, compared to the power-hitting SEC programs who will also be there, this team looks like an Omaha-bound group, not an Omaha-winning one.
Florida State has possibly the best pitching-hitting combo in Jamie Arnold and Alex Lodise, yet bookmakers recently moved them down the board as Vanderbilt, Auburn and Ole Miss moved up higher. Keep that in mind for a relatively small investment that has very good potential.
Georgia Tech looked like it was on its way to hosting a regional after winning the conference regular season. Instead, the Yellow Jackets will travel to Oxford as the two seed.
Everyone Else
Yes, college baseball also subscribes to the Power 4 philosophy. However, the Big Ten and Big 12 are lumped together with the rest of the pack. Nonetheless, consider Oregon at 18-1, which some books are still offering. The 42-game winning, slugging Ducks are listed at this price so the books can help lay off some of the SEC heat. Take it. Oregon, behind the bat of Mason Neville, can be the first Big Ten team to make the CWS since Michigan in 2019.
The Big 12 lags behind with upstart TCU, conference tournament winner Arizona (without star Brendan Summerhill) and West Virginia.
The best non-power conference candidates to sneak into Omaha are Coastal Carolina, Dallas Baptist and Oregon State. The Sun Belt-winning Chanticleers were a good betting option to make the CWS when that board was available. The 25-1 is too thin for a team that will peak with just a CWS bid. DBU has yet to make Omaha after a number of recent seasons where they looked poised to do so. The current 35-1 is a no-fly zone.
However, the independent Beavers at 40-1 are absolutely worth a play at that price. The most overlooked team in the country operating in the far Northwest without a conference will host a regional and then (likely) the super regional against whoever survives in Tallahassee.
Seeds by the Number
Sure, getting a higher seed sounds better, but there is really no difference between those teams slotted in the No.2 and No.3 lines in a regional. Ostensibly, these two seeds will battle each other hard for the right to play the host top seed in the second game. There is a massive difference between the top and bottom seeds in the regional.
Since 1999, when the NCAA expanded its tournament to 64 teams and created the regional round, only nine No.4 seeds have won the opening round. It happened last year when Evansville shocked East Carolina in Greenville. Prior to that, Oral Roberts started its historic journey to Omaha, winning the 2023 Stillwater Regional.
Overall, since 1999, 74% of the No.1 seeds have advanced to Omaha. That superiority is followed by the No.2 seeds advancing that far 16% of the time.
As for No.2 seeds to consider, Alabama can emerge from the Hattiesburg regional. Florida, with its late-season turnaround, is another power conference opponent lurking at a mid-major regional. It will be interesting to see how Georgia Tech deals with being snubbed and shipped off to Oxford.
TCU (35-1) has lower CWS odds than does its regional host, Oregon State (40-1).
Just like Alabama can knock off Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, the same holds true for No.3 Miami. Western Kentucky (150-1) on the 3rd line of the Oxford regional will be another live plus odds dog.
Be careful of expecting a No.4 seed to capture another regional. Sure, the Purple Aces recently pulled it off, but every day that passes in the portal era creates an even bigger gap between the big guys and everyone else.
Perhaps the No.4 team with the best chance to pull off the upset is Saint Mary’s in Corvallis. The offensive-minded Gaels have a lot of momentum coming off their WCC tournament championship.
Action
Take advantage of the tournament’s format and consider wagering on teams in multiple ways—daily game plays, and to win the regional and super regional rounds. The possibility of elimination games assists when hedging is needed.
A new futures board will be posted prior to the start of the CWS.
LSU in the +650 range is a futures ticket worth taking. As stated prior, look to do a roll-over parlay on Arkansas for those wishing to back the Hogs.
For those with Georgia, Auburn, UNC, and Texas tickets, sit tight. Those three teams are expected to go far.
For futures wagers to make now that could ultimately be winners but also have a chance to be monetized along the way, look for the best numbers on Vanderbilt and Oregon. Those teams make sense as a late addition to a diversified portfolio.
Instead of calling them pizza money bets, here are some Jello Shots money bets named in honor of Rocco’s, the epicenter of the Omaha party: Florida State (30-1) and Oregon State (40-1). Those are number plays with plenty of meat on the odds’ bone.
These two teams are in line to face each other in the super regionals, so whoever wins that round will be a high-odds ticket in the CWS field.
