This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
Most people look forward to Friday because it's the start of the weekend. You can go out, relax, sleep in, or do whatever you want. JohnnyVTV loves Fridays because it's usually the best day of the weekend to hit big. Coming off a +190 2u smackaroo last night with Oklahoma on Kyson Witherspoon day has given me a ton of vibes right now. Let's go.
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Texas A&M vs Texas
- Texas A&M Aggies (+100)
- Texas Longhorns (-130)
- Total: 11
The slate this weekend is LOADED with fire matchups at every turn, but two stand out. Tennessee-LSU down in Baton Rouge is off the hook, and something I may cover tomorrow, but I HAD to talk about this showdown. So many emotions, so many feelings. The Aggies will see their former heda coach and current Benedict Arnold in Jim Schlossnagle for the first since last June. Expect fireworks.
This week's Future Wednesday piece was primarily dedicated to A&M, so stop me if you heard any of the following. The resurgence of this program has drawn shades of all the second-half season kickers of the past. Winning 10 of their last 11 games, this last month is huge for the Aggies in terms of stacking wins to reach that coveted number of 13 (8-10), RPI, and morale. But now, we may have something interesting potentially emerging. The thought this team could steal a hosting bid.
Facing Texas, LSU, and Georgia is a tough road, but if they continue to play the way they have, it's not impossible. The first step is dealing with the red-hot 'Horns in Austin. Ryan Prager will get the ball as he always does for a series opener. It's been a rough go of it for the kid. A 4.29 ERA doesn't sound terrible, but the 12 home runs has been utterly abysmal. The stuff doesn't look as sharp, velocity is down, and his confidence could be lacking a bit.
He'll see a Texas lineup that's good, but not living up to its potential. The thing has been timely hitting for this bunch, but they still have some studs, sans their best player, Max Belyeu. Ethan Mendoza (.355 avg/.969 OPS), Rylan Galvan (.342 avg/1.257 OPS/12 HR), and Will Gasparino (.280 avg/.977 OPS/11 HR) have been three of the big contributors this season. It's an offense with some power (63 homers) and speed (45 steals - 62 tries). The big thing for Prager is obviously to stop giving up the long ball. Broken down more simple, he needs to have tighter breaks on his slider and curve instead of these parachutes he's been throwing.
On the other side, the injury-ravaged Longhorns got more devastating news as their ace, Jared Spencer, is out for the season with a shoulder injury. It's an incredible blow to a team I have a lot of expectations for this year. This is a team still capable of handling something like this. Instead of Spencer, it will be Sunday guy Ruger Riojas moving up a couple spots.
Since making the move from the 'pen to the rotation, Riojas has been a delight, giving up nine earned runs in five starts (28.1 innings) with 28 K's. The most dangerous part about this No. 1 pitching staff in the country has been their closer Dylan Volantis, who has allowed only one run in SEC play this year. Texas will now have the pleasure of dealing with one of the hottest teams and lineups in College Baseball in TAMU.
I said it during the week, but with the return of Caden Sorrell, this offense has averaged over 10 runs per game with him compared to the 6.48 without him. Jace Laviolette is white-hot and putting himself back in the 1.1 mix for this summer's draft, as well as the Golden Spikes conversation with his 15 homers and .315 average. Pretty much all of the lineup has been producing. Though Riojas has been strong this year, it's a completely different animal this weekend. Not just because they flipped the switch, but because now it's personal.
After wins at No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Arkansas, the Aggies have reincarnated themselves as the preseason College World Series favorite. Obviously beating current No. 1 Texas in Austin would be huge to add that to the resume and confidence meter, but you better believe they circled their calendars last winter for this one. Schloss left them high and dry after a heartbreaking CWS Finals loss. He nearly imploded the entire program with his departure. He chose a flashier school to usher into the SEC era. It doesn't get bigger than that.
I think A&M is coming out with their hair on fire this weekend, especially Friday night. If they play with the level of swagger they have been, I think they sweep. It also may be the last time to get something in the 20/1 territory on this team to win it all. Go get 'em, Aggies.
Gig'em.
Pick: Texas A&M ML +100 (at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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