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Florida vs LSU Baseball Prediction, Odds & Picks – 2023 CWS Championship Series Game 2

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Hurston Waldrep Florida Gators 2023 College World Series

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After a thrilling 11-inning win over Florida in Game 1 of the College World Series championship series, LSU is a win away from the program’s first national championship since 2009.

Today, the fifth-seeded Tigers (53-16) will look to finish the job in Omaha (3:00 pm ET, ESPN), the second-seeded Gators (53-16) will look to keep their season alive and force a decisive Game 3, which would take place tomorrow night (7:00 pm ET, ESPN).

In last night’s game at Charles Schwab Field, Florida played its fourth consecutive one-run game of the College World Series. But after trailing by a run entering the eighth, LSU tied it up with a solo homer by semifinal hero Tommy White, and Cade Beloso’s solo shot in the top of the 11th provided the winning run in the Tigers’ 4-3 triumph.

While White and Beloso had the big hits, the star of the game was LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd. Floyd racked up 17 strikeouts in eight innings, tying the nine-inning record at the CWS.

What may today hold in Omaha? Read on for our Florida vs LSU Game 2 prediction and picks. First up though, let’s take a look at the odds for the matchup between the Gators and Tigers.

Florida vs LSU Baseball Odds

Odds are via Bovada as of Sunday, June 25, 2023, at 8:15 am ET.

Moneyline

Florida -125
LSU -105

Over/Under

Over 9.5 (+100)
Under 9.5 (-130)

Run Line

Florida -1.5 (+135)
LSU +1.5 (-180)

Can Waldrep Give the Gators One More Game?

Last night, Florida starting pitcher Brandon Sproat had one of his shortest starts of the season, as he failed to make it through five innings for just the third time in 19 starts. He managed to allow only two runs and struck out seven, but he walked a season-high five, allowed six hits, and threw 111 pitches.

Even with Sproat off of his game, the Gators still almost came away with the win. But closer Brandon Neely, who took the loss, had his longest outing of the season (3.2 innings), while reliever Cade Fisher (3.1 innings) went three-plus innings for just the seventh time in 26 appearances this season.

So, with maximizing their chances for today and having as many fresh arms on deck for tomorrow night, Hurston Waldrep will need to produce a strong start in today’s matchup.

Waldrep (10-3, 3.99 ERA), a transfer from Southern Miss, leads the team in wins and is third in the nation in strikeouts (154), with only Stanford’s Quinn Matthews (158) and LSU’s Paul Skenes (209) ahead of him.

If he pitches like he has recently, Florida will be in a strong position to force a winner-take-all showdown. Here are his numbers from his last three starts:

6/4 vs UConn (Gainesville Regional): 7 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 12 K
6/10 vs South Carolina (Gainesville Super Regional): 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 K
6/18 vs Oral Roberts (College World Series): 6 IP, 7 H, R, 3 BB, 12 K

Only twice this season have the Gators lost consecutive games. They were swept in a three-game series at South Carolina in April, and they dropped the final two games of their series at Texas A&M last month.

Since that series against A&M, Florida is 16-4, with their only losses coming at Kentucky, against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, against Texas Tech in the regionals, and last night. For the season, the Gators are 12-3 in games following a loss.

Florida vs LSU Prediction and Picks

Prediction for Florida vs LSU: Florida to win

Picks for Florida vs LSU: Florida ML & Florida/LSU under 9.5

Waldrep has been fantastic recently, and at the most important time of the year for the Gators. That is exactly what would have been hoped for when they snagged him out of the transfer portal last year, and I look for him to spin another gem to send the championship series to a decisive Game 3.

That outcome would be in line with recent College World Series championship series trends.

In the first 11 years of the championship series (2003-2013), there was a Game 3 only four times. But in the last eight editions of the CWS, the championship series has gone three games six times, with 2017 (Florida over LSU) and 2022 (Ole Miss over Oklahoma) the lone two-game sweeps in that time.