May 24, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers catcher Ethan Anderson (23) celebrates his home run in the seventh inning against the Florida State Seminoles during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports
- The Virginia Cavaliers host the Kansas State Wildcats Friday for Game 1 of the Charlottesville Super Regional. Virginia is the nation’s No. 12 seed.
- The Cavaliers and Wildcats cannot have a wider gap in tournament history. Virginia has reached the College World Series 7 times and looking to post No. 8 while Kansas State has reached the Super Regional round just once before Friday and has yet to reach the College World Series.
- See the best picks, odds and a prediction for Friday’s game below.
The No. 12 Virginia Cavaliers host the Kansas State Wildcats for Game 1 of the Charlottesville Super Regional Friday afternoon at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Cavaliers find themselves in the same position they were last season: Hosting the Supers with a shot at reaching Omaha. The Cavs have made the College World Series in 2 of their last 3 seasons. As a program Virginia has reached the College World Series 7 times across their history.
Kansas State, on the other hand, has not. The 3-seed out of the Fayetteville regional made it to the Super Regional round after downing 1-seed Arkansas, Louisiana Tech and Southeast Missouri in dominant fashion to reach the supers for just the 2nd time in their program’s history.
The Wildcats have yet to reach the College World Series and are just 2 wins away from making KSU history.
Kansas State vs. No. 12 Virginia Cavaliers Prediction (June 7)
These Cavaliers are a wagon, folks. Virginia has the best hitting lineup in the country with an average of 9.5 runs scored per game. And as scary as that is for Kansas State, the Hoos won their regional round with their pitching.
Lefty Evan Blanco will be on the mound for Virginia in Game 1. He sits at a 3.57 ERA this season and leads the team in strikeouts by a significant margin (86 compared to Jay Woolfolk’s 57).
Blanco being a lefty is important for this matchup. Kansas State’s offense, despite their average play in the Big 12 and being a 3-seed, is absolutely capable – especially with star shortstop Kaelen Culpepper in the batter’s box. But they are a lefthand-dominant lineup as well, which gives Blanco another advantage that he simply doesn’t need in the first place. Owen Boerema and Jackson Wentworth are solid on the mound for Kansas State, and we’re likely to see one of them start things off on Friday.
Virginia is just the better team here top to bottom. The lineup is more complete and outside of Boerema and Wentworth, their pitching has been subpar. They’d need a perfect weekend to advance to the CWS, but I’d be surprised if they went down without a fight. We’ll take Virginia to win, but KSU to keep it within a pair.
UVA vs. KSU pick: KSU +2.5 (+100)
Virginia vs. Kansas State Odds
| Team | Runline | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Wildcats | +2.5 (+100) | +240 | O 13.5 (-110) |
| Virginia Cavaliers | -2.5 (-130) | -325 | U 13.5 (-120) |
Odds above via Fanatics Sportsbook. Check out our Fanatics promo code for a look at one of the best welcome offers in the business.Â
Virginia is considered to be a -2.5 runline favorite for Friday’s Game 1 matchup, with -130 odds. Kansas State sits at +100 to keep the game within a pair of runs. The Cavaliers are massive favorites on the moneyline at -325, with Virginia sitting at +240.
The over/under for Friday has been set at 13.5, with the under slightly favored at -120. It’s insane, but this total almost seems too low. Virginia is one of the best hitting teams in the country and even though Kansas State is not known for their batting prowess, they can absolutely score runs against Virginia should they perform as they have this past regular season.
It’s worth noting that Kansas State did not lose once in their regional round. Their offense is top heavy, but it can hit against struggling pitching. And no matter how stout a college team has performed, you never know what will happen when the lights are on.
Kansas State vs. Virginia Best Bets
| Best Bets (Charlotte Super Regional, Game 1) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 13.5 Runs (DK) | -115 |
| Virginia to win Charlottesville Super Regional (DK) | -300 |
| KSU +2.5 (Fanatics) | +100 |
College baseball does not allow for prop picks, but there are still plenty of ways to bet the Super Regional Round. As stated earlier, the over seems like a strong bet based on matchup alone. The Cavaliers’ offense was slow in their regional round and needed strong pitching to pull away, but this just seems like a high scoring game waiting to happen.
Virginia is just the better team this weekend, they’re playing in front of their home crowd and they still have yet to play their best baseball. Why not go ahead and make a future bet on it?
Kansas State stood face to face with Arkansas and downed Goliath at their own place last week. If they can do that to a top-tier SEC program, they can hang with Virginia and make it a good Game 1. Virginia to win, KSU to cover.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Down South and contributor with SBD!