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It’s an all-SEC College World Series championship final.
Both playing for their first baseball national championship, Tennessee will face off against Texas A&M in the best-of-three game championship series, beginning Saturday night from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
Tennessee is a -210 favorite to win the College World Series, while Texas A&M is sitting at +170.
The Vols (58-12), who would be the first No. 1 overall seed to win the CWS in 25 years (Miami, 1999) are also -160 to win Game 1, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.
So far during the 2024 College World Series, favorites are 11-1 straight up, according to The Lines, with Florida’s victory over Kentucky in round-robin bracket play the only underdog to win.
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Both Tennessee and Texas A&M (52-13) are undefeated in the CWS, going 3-0 in bracket play. Both teams were also tops on the odds boards coming into Omaha, with UT at +250 to win it all and the Aggies right behind at +300.
The only time these two teams met during the regular season, even though they are both from the SEC, was in the conference tournament during an elimination game, in which Tennessee won, 7-4.
This is Tennessee’s seventh CWS appearance, and the Vols are guaranteed at least their best finish since finishing runner up in 1951.
Texas A&M is playing in its eighth College World Series and is making its first appearance in the championship series in program history.
Simply put, college baseball will have a first-time champion when it’s all said and done.
But in a conference where it “just means more,” there can only be one.
FrontPageBets takes a look at both Tennessee and Texas A&M heading into the CWS championship series.
Tennessee’s offense is perhaps the best – or at least the most exciting – in the nation. The Vols entered the CWS leading the nations in home runs and ninth in runs scored per game.
While in Omaha, UT has averaged 8.3 runs per game, outscoring its opponents 25-14. Eleven of those 14 runs they’ve given up game against Florida State in the first game of the tournament.
The Vols have also combined for five home runs over the three CWS games.
Christian Moore and Blake Burke have powered the Vols so far, combining for 11 runs and eight RBIs. Moore went 5-for-6 against FSU in the opener, becoming the second player in history to hit for the cycle in College World Series game.
Texas A&M hasn’t lost a game this postseason, going a perfect 8-0 through regional, super regional and CWS bracket play.
In fact, the Aggies haven’t lost since Tennessee beat them in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., on May 23.
Since then, Texas A&M has knocked off teams like Texas, Louisiana, Oregon, Florida (twice) and Kentucky – outscoring all eight of their opponents 60-24. That’s a 4.5-run average margin of victory.
For the first time in program history, they’re 3-0 in the CWS; and their 52 wins is the most the Aggies have had since 1999. One more win will set the program record.
Pitching is their strength with a 3.86 ERA for the season, which is fourth-best in the NCAA.
Texas A&M completely shut down the Florida Gators on Wednesday night, giving up just four hits in a 6-0 win to advance to the championship final. It was the 12th shutout Texas A&M has produced this season, which is the most in the nation and ties them with the 1990 Aggies team for the most in school history.
During the three games in Omaha, A&M’s pitching staff is allowing opponents to go just 2-for-29 (.069) with runners in scoring position and 6-for-39 (.154) with runners on base.
Kaeden Kent leads A&M at the plate, batting .455 for the CWS, including a 2-for-4, one-double, one-run and one-RBI night Wednesday in the clinching win over Florida.
College World Series Championship Series schedule:
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 24-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His “View From The Lazy Boy” column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.