Only four teams remain in the 2022 College World Series.
After our two elimination games on Tuesday, the field has been cut down to two undefeated teams, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, and two 2-1 teams, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
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 Wednesday morning:
How to Watch:
- Wednesday, June 22nd, 2 p.m. on ESPN – Texas A&M vs Oklahoma
- Wednesday, June 22nd, 7 p.m. on ESPN – Arkansas vs Ole Miss
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 or you can check out the local sign-up offers here.
Predictions and Players to Watch
#5 Texas A&M (47-19) vs Oklahoma (44-22)
- Wednesday, June 22nd, 2 p.m.
- ESPN
After Auburn lost yesterday, Texas A&M is now the only remaining team that was given a top-16 postseason ranking this year. They are also coming into this game looking to avenge their 13-8 loss to Oklahoma in the first game of the 2022 College World Series, which was Texas A&M’s only loss of the postseason.
In their first meeting, Oklahoma got 11 hits and two home runs, including a grand slam. In their second game of the 2022 College World Series, on Sunday, the Sooners beat Notre Dame, 6-2, and are now averaging 8.3 runs this postseason.
That could be a problem for Texas A&M since they will likely be starting freshman left-hander Ryan Prager. We thought Prager might start yesterday but the Aggies’ ace, Nathan Dettmer, only threw 44 pitches in the loss to Oklahoma, so he was able to start against Notre Dame and was masterful, throwing seven shutout innings, while allowing only three hits and striking out six.
The Aggies will also have closer Jacob Palisch available as he hasn’t thrown since Sunday. The Sooners as a team haven’t played since Sunday so basically all of their pitchers should be available in this game; however, they appear likely to turn to redshirt sophomore David Sandlin on Wednesday. He pitched a third of an inning in relief versus A&M last week, allowing four runs and two hits.
Texas A&M has a .291 average as a team, while Oklahoma is hitting .299 as a team, so these are two strong offenses that should test both pitching staffs. Oklahoma has scored 38 runs in their last four games, and is batting .313 with runners in scoring position through two games at the College World Series.
Since this is a double-elimination tournament, Texas A&M will need to beat Oklahoma twice in order to advance to the 2022 College World Series Finals.
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.
- Peyton Graham – SS, Oklahoma: Hit .336 this year with 20 HR, 70 RBI, and 32 SBs. Made a change to his swing in the middle of the season, which led to success but may have too much swing and miss to be an MLB starter.
- Jake Bennett – LHP, Oklahoma: 6’6″ and 235 pounds. He has a fastball in the low 90s, but he can run it up to the mid-90s when he needs to. Bennett has a big frame with a workable slider and change-up that could intrigue major league teams.
Best Bet: Texas A&M ML (+110) I was on the Aggies early yesterday and then got scared off by digging too deeply into their defensive lapses over the last few weeks. Sometimes you just need to trust your gut, and I think the Aggies are in a better spot here with their pitching. They have the better spot starter going and have their bullpen ace ready to go, so I think they can push Oklahoma to another game.
Arkansas (48-21) vs Ole Miss (44-22)
- Wednesday, June 22nd, 7 p.m.
- ESPN2
Much like the game before them, these two teams have already faced each other in the 2022 College World Series, with Ole Miss winning 13-5 behind 13 team hits including a home run from star Tim Elko and a 4-6 night from senior Justin Bench, who also scored four runs and knocked in two RBI in the contest.
The Rebels will likely start Senior left-hander John Gaddis, who would be making his first start since April 9th. Gaddis has been effective in relief, posting a 2.31 ERA, but a start against this Arkansas lineup is another animal. The Razorbacks put up 17 runs on Stanford and 11 runs against Auburn; however, they do have a very left-handed heavy lineup, which could work in Gaddis’ favor.
The Rebels also have a deep and talented bullpen, which has allowed one run over their past 30 innings. The Rebels’ pitching staff leads the nation in hits allowed per nine innings, shutouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and WHIP. All of which, obviously, makes them a tough foe to surpass, especially when they are swinging the bats as well as they have been.
Who Arkansas will start is unclear, but their entire bullpen should be available, including freshman star Hagen Smith, who was a starter for much of the regular season and could be used in a bulk role on Wednesday. They could also turn to senior right-hander Connor Noland is expected to be the starter for the Razorbacks. He’s 8-5 with a 3.75 ERA on the season.
Prospects to Watch:
- Tim Elko – IF, Ole Miss: Hit .302 with a team-leading 22 home runs, 71 RBI, and 57 runs scored. Has primarily played 1B and is an average defender but has legitimate pop.
- 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: Over 12 runs (-115) I’m leaning towards taking Ole Miss here at -120, but I think the over is a safe bet. Both of these offenses can really hit and have been putting up big numbers this postseason. When you combine that with us being this late in the 2022 College World Series so pitchers are starting to tire, these games tend to get high-scoring. Since I like Ole Miss to win, I also think you can take +1.5 runs on the runline at -155, but you might want to put that into a small parlay with the other MCWS game or a day baseball game.
For more baseball coverage like this 2022 College World series article, visit amNY Sports
