The No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers and Troy Trojans are leading off the College World Series on Friday, 2 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. The Mountaineers (45-15) defeated Cal Poly in two games for their first-ever CWS appearance in school history alongside the Trojans (38-30), making their first trip as a Division I member. Here is our gameday preview, prediction and odds to get you ready for first pitch.
WEST VIRGINIA VS. TROY GAME ODDS
The Mountaineers are a 1.5-run favorite with an over/under of 10.5 runs. West Virginia, across its last five games, averages 11.2 runs per game entering Friday’s CWS opener.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Armani Guzman, West Virginia (OF): Guzman tied a school record with 38 stolen bases this season and is coming off a 3-RBI, 2-for-2 showing against Cal Poly in last week’s Super Regional finale.
Jimmy Janicki, Troy (C): Janicki finds himself at the center of Troy’s offense with 19 different home runs and 85 RBI (3rd in the NCAA) this season. The Downers Grove, Illinois, native was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year and an All-American.
KEY STORYLINE: MOMENTUM ON THE MOUND
West Virginia enters the contest with one of the tournament’s best ERAs (3.82) behind Maxx Yehl and Chansen Cole.
The good news for Troy is that they like hitting home runs. Led by Janicki, the Trojans are 77 homers deep as they head to Omaha, and big at-bats will be a must against a Mountaineer squad that posted a 29-3 margin in two games with Cal Poly.
PREDICTION: WEST VIRGINIA 10, TROY 8
The oddsmakers like this matchup as a close battle coming down to a couple of runs, and I’m taking West Virginia to elude Troy by just that in Friday’s CWS opener. Without a poor day on a bump, it’s tough to see how West Virginia slips into the elimination bracket with the streak they’re on. Stick with Steve Sabins and the Mountaineers to claim this first contest on Friday afternoon.
