Vanderbilt has shown it knows how to take advantage of its College World Series opportunities. The Commodores have made the finals in three of their previous four appearances in the tournament, winning the championship on two occasions. Vanderbilt hopes for more success when the 2021 College World Series gets underway in Omaha, Neb. this weekend. The Commodores face Arizona at TD Ameritrade Park in one of two games on Saturday, while a pair of College World Series 2021 contests also are scheduled for Sunday.
Vanderbilt, which won the CWS title in 2019 but was unable to defend it last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Texas are 5-2 co-favorites in the 2021 College World Series odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while Tennessee is listed at 9-2. Before making any 2021 College World Series picks or college baseball predictions, you need to see what SportsLine baseball insider Matt Snyder is saying.
A former player for Indiana University and a member of the BBWAA, Snyder has been a baseball writer with CBS Sports since 2011. Baseball-obsessed since a young child, a fan of gambling from nickel-and-dime poker as a teen to $5 blackjack as a broke college kid and eventually on to major sports betting, the transition always seemed inevitable for Snyder.
CBS Sports' longest-tenured baseball expert teams simple logic learned back from his baseball-playing days, such as "stick with what works," with extensive background analytics. He went 26-18 in the 2020 MLB Playoffs, including 8-4 on World Series bets.
Now, Snyder has broken down the 2021 College World Series bracket from every possible angle and revealed which teams you should back and which you should completely avoid. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks.
Top 2021 College World Series predictions
Snyder is high on Arizona, which is listed at 17-2 in William Hill's latest 2021 CWS odds. After suffering a 12-3 loss to Ole Miss that evened their Super Regional series at one win apiece, the Wildcats made sure no mistake was made regarding which was the better team in the deciding contest. Six players recorded multi-hit performances as Arizona pounded out 20 total hits and scored in six of its eight innings en route to a 16-3 victory.
Branden Boissiere led the attack, going 4-for-6 with five RBIs, while Jacob Berry homered, drove in four runs and scored three times. A freshman corner infielder, Berry leads the Wildcats with 17 home runs, 70 RBIs and a 1.140 OPS in 61 games this campaign.
"This season, Arizona hit .329 with a .428 on-base percentage, 138 doubles, 29 triples and 69 homers," Snyder told SportsLine. "Translation: That's an outstanding offense that is not reliant on home runs in order to produce runs, while still being able to come up with a game-changing big fly."
How to make 2021 College World Series picks
Snyder has analyzed the 2021 CWS bracket from every angle and revealed which teams to back, including a long shot he thinks has a chance to shock the nation and go all the way. He's only sharing his top picks on SportsLine.
Who is Snyder picking to win the College World Series 2021? And which long shot can go all the way? Check out the odds below and then visit SportsLine to see Matt Snyder's 2021 College World Series futures bets and analysis, all from the baseball expert who went 26-18 in the 2020 MLB Playoffs.
2021 College World Series odds (by William Hill)
Texas 5-2
Vanderbilt 5-2
Tennessee 9-2
Arizona 17-2
Mississippi State 17-2
Stanford 10-1
North Carolina State 12-1
Virginia 14-1
