The chilly winds of November have sports bettors thinking more about the final weeks of the football season and indoor events like basketball and hockey – and not about the fresh smell of the grass and ding of the aluminum bat.
The 2016 College World Series takes place in Omaha, Nebraska starting on June 18, with the top eight college baseball teams in the country doing battle for the national title. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the programs expected to make their way to Omaha this spring and the early sports betting odds:
Virginia Cavaliers
The defending national champs look to build on their stunning run to the title in 2015. The Cavaliers entered the College World Series as a 14/1 long shot, but knocked off tournament favorites Florida and Vanderbilt en route to the championship. Virginia manager Brian O’Connor has his work cut out for him this coming season with 18 new players on the roster, 16 of which are freshman. The Cavs won’t catch opponents off guard this season, and have a rather large target on their back heading into 2016.
Florida Gators
The Gators were a bit of a disappointment in the 2015 College World Series, entering the tournament as the odds-on-favorite at 5/2 but bowing out to Virginia in the semifinals. Florida is coming off a 50-win campaign and returns four starting pitchers from last year’s group, including Logan Shore, as well as six position players, headlined by slugger J.J. Schwarz and outfielder Buddy Reed. On top of that, UF reeled in the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in the country, adding 13 new top talents to an already stacked roster. A return to the tournament looks eminent for the Gators in 2016.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores were ever so close to a 2015 national title, but lost the final two games of the championship series to Virginia after taking Game 1 by a margin of 5-1. Vanderbilt entered the 2015 College World Series priced at 4/1 and if it wants to get back to the finals, it’ll need to find a way to replace Dansby Swanson, who was selected first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2015 MLB Draft. Vandy manager Tim Corbin is looking at true freshman Connor Kaiser and Ethan Paul to fill that massive void at shortstop, and has other holes to plug before the 2016 season starts. The Commodores do bring back a talented and experienced trio of starting pitchers in John Kilichowski, Kyle Wright and Jordan Sheffield, which may have to shoulder the weight until some of the new faces get their feet wet.
