We’re through four days of the 2022 College World Series. So far, Oklahoma and Ole Miss have both gone 2-0, while the Texas Longhorns and Stanford Cardinal were the first two teams eliminated. We’ll see two more eliminations today as we move into the final days of the tournament.
As a refresher, the format of the 2022 College World series is two separate four-team brackets which are both played at the same location, Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. Both brackets compete in a double-elimination tournament until the winner of each bracket meet in the Finals.
Here is where we stand as of Tuesday morning:
How to Watch:
- Tuesday, June 21st, 2 p.m. on ESPN – Texas A&M vs Notre Dame (Elimination Game)
- Monday, June 21st, 7 p.m. on ESPN – Arkansas vs Auburn (Elimination Game)
How to Bet:
For each game, you can bet as you would any normal baseball game: straight up, against the spread, or the over/run on the run total. If you’re not familiar with betting on baseball, you should read our beginner’s guide to baseball betting, which will explain all the bets.
Since this is a tournament, you’re also able to cast bets on who will win each bracket and who will ultimately win the entire tournament.
If you’re new to betting and want to get involved in casting the bets we give you below, Caesar’s has a great risk-free first bet promo for any new users.
Predictions and Players to Watch
#5 Texas A&M (46-19) vs Notre Dame (41-16)
- Tuesday, June 21st, 2 p.m.
- ESPN
It does not pay to be a high seed at the 2022 College World Series. So far EVERY LOWER SEEDED TEAM HAS WON. Yes, every single game has been won by the lower-seeded team. That’s not great news for Texas A&M, which remains the highest-seed left in the postseason and is actually the only team in the top 13 still remaining.
Texas A&M lost their first game to Oklahoma 13-8 but then eliminated Texas on Sunday with a 10-2 win. The loss to Oklahoma was actually the Aggies’ first loss in the postseason, after going 3-0 in their Regional and then sweeping Louisville in the Super Regional.
While A&M was blown out by Oklahoma in the first game, the blessing in there may have been that their ace, Nathan Dettmer, only threw 44 pitches, so he could theoretically be available for today in relief of freshman Ryan Prager, who is likely to get the start. Notre Dame could start Liam Simon, who is a 6’4″ right-hander with a mid-90s fastball who struggled in Game 3 of the Super Regional against Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame won their first game 7-3 against Texas but then fell 6-2 against Oklahoma on Sunday. Notre Dame has been in an elimination game already this postseason. After sweeping their Regional, they split the first two games of the Super Regional against Tennessee before surviving a Game 3 and eliminating the number one team in the nation.
Prospects to Watch:
- Jacob Palisch – Closer, Texas A&M: Transfer from Stanford has a 2.60 ERA in In 52 innings with 60 strikeouts to just nine walks.
- Jack Brannigan – 3B, Notre Dame: Hit .296 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI. A bit of a free swinger, but has a tremendous arm (also pitches for ND) and would likely be an above-average defensive third baseman at the major league level.
Best Bet: Under 14.5 runs (-115) and Notre Dame ML (-130) Yes, this park is conducive to home runs, and, yes, both of these teams have been scoring well during the tournament, but Notre Dame also has one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, and both teams are set to throw any of their best arms even for just one or two innings in order to stay in the hunt here. I think we see the under, and I just can’t help but bet against this Aggies team. They’ve made 23 errors in their last 10 games, and that kind of defense will absolutely lose you close baseball games. Considering Notre Dame’s pitching advantage, it’s hard to overlook the hill the Aggies might have to climb here.
Arkansas (47-21) vs #14 Auburn (46-21)
- Tuesday, June 21st, 7 p.m.
- ESPN2
We were on Arkansas yesterday because they were rolling. They scored 37 runs over their final three games in the Regional round, then beat North Carolina in the Super Regional without dropping a game, and then absolutely destroyed Stanford in game one of the College World Series. But they ran into a hungry Ole Miss team, who made me eat my words yesterday.
Meanwhile, Auburn staved off elimination yesterday with a 6-2 win over Stanford. Auburn also staved off elimination in the Super Regionals against Oregon State before winning Game 3. Auburn is the only other team remaining, besides Texas A&M, that was given a top 16 postseason seed and we discussed above how that hasn’t been a good trend so far in the 2022 College World Series.
Arkansas figures to throw Will McIntire today, who pitched 5.2 innings of shutout baseball against North Carolina in the NCAA Regionals. He’s been good as a hybrid starter/reliever so far this year, and I have more confidence in him than Mason Barnett, who figures to start for Auburn.
Prospects to Watch:
- Sonny DiChiara – 1B, Auburn: Hit .392 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI. DiChiara has good plate discipline and actually had 68 walks this season to just 51 strikeouts. His bat will play at the major league level but the body and glove won’t, and he’ll likely just be a DH.
- Cayden Wallace – 3B, Arkansas: Hit .299 with 15 home runs, 57 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. Wallace has some swing-and-miss concerns, which he looked to address this year, but that came with some power sacrifice. He has made some spectacular plays at 3B and could stick there with plus power.
Best Bet: Arkansas ML (-145) Yes, Auburn is battling a stomach virus right now that has impacted over half a dozen of their players, but that’s not the only reason I’m rolling with the Hogs. I think their pitching staff sets up a little better for today, and I’ve been more impressed with their recent performance. Auburn beating off illness to come back against Stanford yesterday was a great story, but I think that story ends today.
