Pictured: Texas A&M’s Jace LaViolette. David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

College World Series pick: Texas A&M vs. Kentucky odds, pick, prediction for Mon. 6/17

Originally posted on Action Network | By Collin Wilson | Last updated Jun 16, 2024 11:41 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. — An all-SEC matchup is tabbed for the College World Series winners' bracket on Monday night.

Yet, Texas A&M and Kentucky didn't play each other in the regular season or during the conference tournament in Hoover.

"They can do everything — hit the ball out of the ballpark, run, bunt, put a lot of pressure on you, throw strikes, play defense," Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "But we're not bad. We'll show up."

Texas A&M vs. Kentucky Odds

Monday, June 17, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Texas A&M Odds
Runline	Total	Moneyline
-1.5	TBA	-140

Kentucky Odds
Runline	Total	Moneyline
+1.5	TBA	+110

Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAF odds here.

The Wildcats snagged a victory in extra innings from NC State, while defensive heroics from Jace LaViolette on a near home run from Cade Kurland moved the Aggies one step closer to a national title.

“There really wasn't that much wind going, but he just hit it to the wrong spot,” Schlossnagle said. “But Cade is a great hitter and stayed on a good pitch. We were playing no doubles, so Jace was pretty far back there. But I thought it was a homer.”

Jace LaViolette stand 6’6 and may have taken Florida’s Bracket 2 chances at the wall@AggieBaseball | #MCWS pic.twitter.com/W82tf5ILLD
— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) June 16, 2024

Schlossnagle rolled the dice in Game 1, sending Justin Lamkin to the mound while reserving the staff ace for this game. Ryan Prager is now expected to get the start for the Aggies after proving to be one of the best anchors in the nation despite recent troubles against Oregon.

Texas A&M vs Kentucky

Betting Picks & Prediction

Kentucky will have the option of sending Mason Moore or Dominic Niman to the mound, but both project as underdogs of -275 against Prager.

Wind and rain are forecasted for this game, with the heaviest wind gusts having the potential to reach more than 50 mph.

All pitching combinations fetch a projected total of 12.1.

This game's main avenue for runs is defensive errors. Both the Aggies and Wildcats rank top-35 nationally in fielding percentage, and with an ace on the mound in Prager, this should be one of the lower-scoring games in Omaha.

Pick: Texas A&M ML -150 or Better · Under

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