The North Carolina Tar Heels took a huge step in the first game of its College World Series stay, knocking off the tournament favorite Oregon State Beavers to remain in the winner’s bracket. North Carolina can really take control of the bracket with a win next time out with a victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Tar Heels are the No. 6 national seed and used a strong offensive performance to beat Oregon State. North Carolina will be favored in this matchup as it has the superior club. However, the Bulldogs have surprised throughout the NCAA baseball tournament by getting this far and can become the last remaining undefeated team on this side of the bracket with a victory.
The winner of this game will become the favorite to emerge from the bracket and make it to the national championship series. North Carolina will aim to take care of business after an impressive performance against Oregon State but Mississippi State is coming off a walk-off victory and will not be intimidated. The Bulldogs should not be counted out in College World Series wagering.
The College World Series matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will be held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. The game will take place on Monday, June 18th, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have College World Series odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NCAA baseball season.
Odds Analysis
The odds have yet to be released for this matchup but North Carolina has the national seed and entered the College World Series with better odds to claim the national championship. The Tar Heels will be favored to knock off the Bulldogs but check back soon to see the spread and the moneyline odds decided on by the bookmakers.
Last Time Out
North Carolina used a five-run third inning to pull ahead and held on for the 8-6 victory over Oregon state in its first game of the College World Series. It was the bottom of the order that did the damage, as Ben Casparius went 2-for-5 with three RBIs while Ashton McGee was 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.
The Tar Heels used five different pitchers to varying degrees of effectiveness, but Cooper Criswell did a great job of closing things out in the final innings. Criswell threw 2.1 innings of shutout ball, striking out two and only allowing one hit to help North Carolina hold on for the victory.
Luke Alexander broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off Mississippi State over Washington, 1-0. Starting pitcher Ethan Small tossed a gem, allowing only four hits and zero runs in seven innings of work. J.P. France, Cole Gordon and Zach Neff combined to go the rest of the way as the Bulldogs kept the Huskies’ offense at bay.
Mississippi State had 10 hits in the game but stranded a ton of runners and will need to capitalize on its chances in this one. The Bulldogs have a nice mixture of hitting and pitching and will be upset-minded against the Tar Heels.
Free College World Series Picks
North Carolina can’t afford to get cocky in this one, but it could happen. Because Saturday’s foe, Oregon State, had more talent, the Tar Heels may overlook the Bulldogs in this one. It’s been a storybook NCAA baseball tournament run thus far for Mississippi State and it’s going to continue.
The Bulldogs are going to take a huge step forward toward winning the national championship by knocking off the favored Tar Heels in College World Series gambling.
College World Series ATS Pick: Mississippi State 5, North Carolina 4
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