This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss, College Baseball
Best Bet for April 13
I think it's time to say Florida officially sucks. What a brutal loss to South Carolina. We've got to shake that one off and get back to business for this Saturday slate. By now you know I not only try to give out winners, but highlight different teams and players. The college game has so many talented guys that have the opportunity to be stars at the top level. Wait until you meet this dude.
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Mississippi State Bulldogs (-115) @ Ole Miss Rebels (-115) | Total: N/A
The Magnolia state matchup. An in-state rivalry between the teams that won the College World Series in 2021 and 2022. Friday night, the Bulldogs were on my card at a +110 price thanks to me getting a big jump on the line Thursday afternoon. State took Game One 8-0 behind a tremendous effort from Khal Stephen. Miss State was a team I liked coming into last year, but ultimately were not ready. Since I felt like I was a year too early on them, I doubled down on them coming into this season. There were not many people with somewhat high-ish expectations on them, except for me of course.
After a rough 2022 and 2023, the Bulldogs are finally regaining that form that propelled them to a championship in '21. After last night's win, the Dawgs are currently 22-12 with a solid 7-6 SEC record, keeping them in prime position to finish as one of the top four or five teams in the conference. They lost to Texas A&M a few weeks ago, but kept it close against one of the best teams in America. They were a handful for Florida (before they turned awful) in a series they lost 2-1, but really had a chance to sweep if not for two late-inning meltdowns. The lineup has been good, and the starting pitching has been awesome. One of the main reasons for their improvement is the gigantic leap their sophomore Saturday starter has made.
Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite players in the sport; the SWITCH-PITCHING Jurrangelo Cijtnje. Yes, he throws with both arms. Tops out at 97 from the right, 94 from the left. As a freshman last year, he had significant problems with command on both sides leading to his 8.10 ERA and 34 walks in 50 innings. He would usually only pitch to lefties as a lefty and vice versa. This season, he's predominantly stuck with his right hand (even against lefty batters), sprinkling in the occasional work from the opposite side.
The Curacao native, who pitched in the Little League World Series as a kid, has blossomed this year. Pitching to a 3.45 ERA, Cijntje has notched 61 punchies in 44.1 innings and allowed 19 walks. Though the free passes are still a touch high, it's big-time improvement. Outside of that A&M start where he allowed five earned runs thanks to a couple Braden Montgomery moon shots, he's been three runs or less in every other outing. The walks and high pitch counts have been restricting on his innings, going five, five, and 5.2 in three of his last four starts. If Jurrangelo continues to dial in, then State will have a great chance to win.
Opposing the ambidextrous pitcher, is Ole Miss' Liam Doyle. Doyle, the proud owner of a 7.01 ERA, has been less than stellar as of late. In his last two outings against Kentucky and Arkansas, he's surrendered a whopping 11 earned runs in just six innings. The Dawgs' offense is not on the level of a Tennessee, Georgia or Coastal Carolina, but it's good. Led by Dakota Jordan, otherwise known as "Baby Bo," this team can certainly score. Jordan was projected as a first-rounder coming into the year, and has done nothing but affirm that thus far. With a .373 average, 15 tanks, nine doubles and 47 RBI, Jordan is one of the more feared hitters in the sport. After going yard last night, it wouldn't be surprising to see him do it again tonight. It's a tough ask for Doyle.
No surprise, but I am going with Mississippi State. They are the better team with the better pitcher. Something that's noteworthy, DraftKings is oddly pricing them to win it all at 90/1. This is completely wrong, and should be closer to about 65/1. In my opinion, there may not be a better bang for your buck in the futures market than Mississippi State.
Pick: Miss State ML -115
