The UCLA Bruins will travel to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in an anticipated college baseball matchup this weekend at Hawkins Field. With that said, check out our college baseball odds series which has our UCLA-Vanderbilt prediction and pick.
UCLA has opened the season on a tear, going 4-0, including a dominant opening weekend sweep of Omaha. Head coach John Savage is in his 19th season at the helm of UCLA, winning over 600 games. The Bruins won 40 games last season before losing in the opening round of the tournament.
Vanderbilt has turned into a baseball factory under head coach Tim Corbin, going 3-2 to open the season. Opening weekend was a collection of strong teams, with the Commodores winning two of three. Vanderbilt also lost in the opening round of last year's NCAA tournament.
Here are the UCLA-Vanderbilt NCAAB Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
NCAAB Odds: UCLA-Vanderbilt Odds
UCLA Bruins: +1.5 (-160)
Vanderbilt Commodores: -1.5 (+130)
Over: 9.5 (-115)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
How To Watch UCLA vs. Vanderbilt
TV: SECN+
Stream: SEC Network Plus
Time: 5:30 PM ET/ 2:30 PM PT
*Watch NCAAB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The UCLA Could Cover The Spread
Two-sport athlete JonJon Vaughns leads the team with a .556 batting average and three home runs, capitalizing on his lofty potential. Despite a career batting average hovering around .200, Vaughns owns a career OBP north of .400 and has bashed 11 home runs. Vaughns' turnaround at the plate would ignite this Bruins team. Impressively, Vaughns also started 11 games at linebacker in the fall. Kyle Karros, whose father Eric spent more than a decade in the big leagues, leads the team with nine RBIs, also adding a home run. Karros belted six home runs in his sophomore campaign in 2022. Duce Gourson has pelted baseballs to the tune of a .533 batting average, hitting two doubles and a home run. As a team, UCLA has slashed .349/.497/.557 with seven home runs in their four games.
Junior Jake Brooks, who is in his second season as the Friday night starter, will take the ball after a stellar season debut. After missing the end of last season with an injury, Brooks returned to fire five innings, allowing one run while striking out eight. In their four games this season, the Bruins' staff owns a 1.00 ERA with 57 strikeouts and just four walks in 36 innings.
Why The Vanderbilt Could Cover The Spread
Vanderbilt's offense has been led by Jonathan Vastine, who has slashed .444/.500/.833 with two home runs. Alan Espinal, who has played sparingly across three seasons, has bashed three home runs in just seven at-bats this season. Junior outfielder Calvin Hewett has been a threat on the basepaths, succeeding in all six of his stolen base attempts. Hewett, who totaled 92 at-bats in his first two seasons, has hit .294 with a double and a triple at the beginning of the season. Despite a middling batting average of .261, the Commodores have hit six home runs, seven doubles, and five triples, so the firepower is clearly there.
Carter Holton will toe the rubber for the Commodores in this one. The sophomore is looking to build on a dominant freshman campaign in which he was a unanimous Freshman All-American pick by all major publications. Holton allowed two runs in 3.2 innings in his first start of the season. Vanderbilt's talented pitching staff has pitched to a 5.36 ERA but has registered 61 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Final UCLA-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick
UCLA is red hot, but coming cross country is a tall task.
Final UCLA-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Vanderbilt -1.5 (+130), over 9.5 (-115)
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