Tennessee college baseball continues to knock it out of the park this season, advancing to the Knoxville Super Regional this weekend.
Only two wins stand between the Vols and the College World Series, and three Tennessee online sportsbooks expect them to have no issues getting there.
Vols kick off regional competition with walk-off grand slam
The Vols (48-16) hosted the Knoxville Regional last weekend, playing in front of a packed hometown crowd at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tennessee faced off against Wright State (35-13) last Friday in their first regional matchup since 2005. The Vols were down three runs coming into the bottom of the ninth inning.
With the bases loaded, Drew Gilbert stepped up to the plate. The sophomore center fielder connected on the second pitch, hammering the ball straight across the outfield and over the fence.
The team earned two back-to-back wins against the Liberty Flames (39-14), solidifying its advancement in postseason play.
Now, after five days of rest, the Vols welcome the LSU Tigers (38-23) to their home field this weekend for the Knoxville Super Regional.
Tennessee Vols Super Regional odds
Although college baseball wagering isn’t a popular betting market, three of Tennessee’s seven sportsbooks offer lines on this weekend’s Super Regional play.
This is a step up from last week’s Knoxville Regional, when Action 24/7 was the only operator offering single game lines.
Moneyline wagers are currently the only lines available for Saturday’s game at Action 24/7. The sportsbook offers run line and total run wagering on a handful of Friday night’s super regional events, however, so this could change in the hours leading up to the game. The Vols boast -200 odds of winning, while the Tigers sit at +160.
Similarly, TwinSpires is currently only offering money line wagers. The sportsbook opens lines at -200 odds for Tennessee and +163 odds for LSU.
DraftKings Tennessee has slightly less faith in the Vols, positioning them at -195 odds against the Tigers (+165). This operator, however, is currently the only one offering multiple lines, giving Tennessee a 1.5-run lead, with an over/under of 10.5 runs for the game.
With the weekend’s series being a best-of-three competition, bettors can also wager on the outright winner of the Knoxville Super Regional.
Action 24/7 gives Tennessee -455 odds of winning, while LSU is the heavy underdog at +315.
TwinSpires has Tennessee at -385 odds and LSU at +275.
At DraftKings, the Vols sit at -330 and the Tigers trail at +270.
Tennessee Vols sell out Knoxville Super Regional
To say fans are thrilled to see Tennessee advance to this stage of play would be a major understatement. This weekend marks the first time the Vols have ever hosted a super regional event.
Tickets for the series flew off the digital shelves, selling out in less than an hour. Before last weekend, Tennessee hadn’t hosted a regional tournament or made it to the College World Series since 2005.
Now, the Tigers are the only thing standing in their way from another long-awaited World Series appearance.
LSU won last weekend’s Eugene Regional by claiming four straight victories. After losing to Gonzaga in the opening round, the Tigers stepped up to the plate to snatch a win over Central Connecticut State, a redemption over Gonzaga, and then two wins over Oregon to advance to Super Regional competition.
LSU currently holds a 38-23 overall record for the season, but only a 13-17 record for SEC competition.
Last time Tennessee and LSU met was at the end of March, when Tennessee shut out the Tigers during a three-game stretch. Gilbert came in clutch yet again, hitting a walk-off homer to win the team’s second game of the series.
Luc Lipcius then powered a walk-off single to center field to win game three and claim a sweeping series victory.
Tennessee plays up to three games against LSU this weekend. The first pitch of Game 1 is thrown Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
Game 2 takes place in the early afternoon on Sunday, then Game 3 is scheduled for the early evening on Monday, if a winner is not decided in the first two rounds.
College World Series futures odds
As far as College World Series betting goes, Action 24/7 still favors Arkansas to win it all, with +350 odds. Tennessee trails behind at +505 odds, and Vanderbilt follows at +650.
TwinSpires give Tennessee +600 odds, falling behind Arkansas (+180), Vanderbilt (+450) and Texas (+500).
Odds for the World Series winner look similar at DraftKings, though the sportsbook drops Tennessee in line with Vanderbilt at +550.
If Tennessee gets another series sweep over LSU this weekend, however, those numbers should improve.
