LSU vs Tennessee Predictions & Odds for CWS (June 17)

• The LSU vs Tennessee odds list the Tigers as -220 moneyline favorites in Saturday’s College World Series action
• LSU is making its 19th CWS appearance, the most of any SEC team
• Don’t miss the LSU vs Tennessee Predictions and odds below

There are so few certainties in life. But death, taxes and LSU returning to the College World Series every year are all seemingly unavoidable.

The Tigers are back in Omaha for an SEC-high 19th time starting on Saturday, taking on a familiar foe. They’ll go head-to-head with conference rival Tennessee, and online sportsbooks don’t expect much fight from the Volunteers.

LSU vs Tennessee Odds

LSU is currently a -220 moneyline favorite, in a contest with a total of 9.5. First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm ET at Charles Schwab Field, in Omaha, Nebraska, with ESPN and ESPN+ providing the broadcast coverage.

The College World Series is the culmination of the NCAA Tournament which began with 64 teams. It features the final eight programs, each split up into two brackets. The four teams in each bracket will play a double-elimination round robin, with the winner moving to the finals for a best-of-three series against the winner from the other side.

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LSU vs Tennessee Probable Pitchers

The Tigers began the 2023 season as the number-one team in the nation, but injuries allowed Wake Forest to overtake them. LSU’s +380 championship odds is the second shortest price tag to win the College World Series, just behind the Demon Deacons at +275.

No team drew more action to win it all prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament than the Tigers, and ace Paul Skenes is a major reason why. The 6’6 righty was 12-2 during the regular season, posting an absurd K/9 rate of 15.8. He led the nation in total strikeouts with 188, and finished second in ERA (1.77).

He’s considered the number two MLB prospect, and has flashed ridiculous form in the NCAA Tournament. In two starts, he yielded only two runs, striking out 21, while only allowing one walk. He faced the Vols earlier this season, holding them to one run over 7 innings, with 12 strikeouts, and was just named the National Player of the Year.

Skenes vs Lindsey Stats

Tennessee meanwhile, opted not to name a starter earlier in the week, but finally announced on Friday that Andrew Lindsey will get the ball. The junior hurler posted a 3-3 mark in eight starts, with a 2.79 ERA and 9.2 K/9 rate.

He started the NCAA Tournament with a 7 inning, one-run gem versus Charlotte, but the wheels fell off last weekend against Southern Miss. They tagged him for six hits and four runs in just 4 innings, en route to a Volunteers defeat.

LSU vs Tennessee Predictions

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why the Tigers are such big favorites on Saturday. They swept their Regional and Super Regional Games, outscoring the competition 48-17. They had a plus-22 run differential in their Super Regional series against Kentucky, and they feature arguably the best lineup in the country.

That unit is led by Dylan Crews and Tommy White. Crews is the number one MLB prospect, batting .434, while smacking 17 home runs and driving in 64 runs during the regular season. He tore the cover off the ball versus Tennessee in their three meetings, going 6-for-11 with three RBIs.

Dylan Crews lives for the bright lights of the big stage!#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN2 / @LSUbaseball pic.twitter.com/bs6H8XdotO

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2023

Not to be outdone, White, aka Tommy Tanks, crushed 22 homers and drove in 97 runs during the regular season, batting .427.

As a team, the Tigers are slashing .314/.438/.569 in 2023, and crossed the plate 18 times in their three meetings with Tennessee this season.

As for the Vols, their path to this point has not been so smooth. They were one and done in the SEC Tournament, and had to rally in the Super Regionals to overcome a 1-0 series deficit versus Southern Miss.

The year marks Tennessee’s sixth appearance at the CWS, and they haven’t advanced out of the round-robin since 1951.

It may be chalky, but back the more talented roster, with the best pitcher in the nation. LSU has won eight of Skenes’ past nine starts, beating their opponent by an average of 5.6 runs per outing.

Pick: LSU Tigers -1.5 (-120)