Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina Prediction & Picks: 2016 Finalists Meet in Omaha Opener

In a rematch of the 2016 championship series, Arizona and Coastal Carolina will get the 2025 College World Series underway this afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska (2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Who will move into the winner's bracket? Read on for a prediction and picks for today's matchup between the Wildcats and Chanticleers.

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Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline

Moneyline

• Arizona +199
• Coastal Carolina -265

Over/Under

• Over 9 (-115)
• Under 9 (-115)

Run Line

• Arizona +1.5 (+105)
• Coastal Carolina -1.5 (-135)

Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina Prediction and Picks

In major college sports, there are few instances in which you will see a team from the Sun Belt heavily favored over a Big 12 team, especially when said Big 12 team just upset one of the National Championship favorites on the road.

But this Coastal Carolina squad is not some plucky Cinderella story.

Since a 4-2 loss at Charleston on April 22, the Chanticleers have won 23 straight games. That includes a non-conference win over Clemson (a regional host), a Sun Belt tournament title game win over Southern Miss (also a regional host), and sweeps of their regional in Conway, South Carolina, along with a Super Regional matchup at No. 4 national seed Auburn.

In this win streak, Coastal Carolina has outscored opponents 192-61, including 65-25 in nine games across the Sun Belt tournament, regionals, and Super Regionals.

But if there is a team equipped to snap such a streak, it is one that is 10-1 in its last 11 games and responded to that lone loss—an 18-2 loss, at that—by coming back in consecutive games at North Carolina, who was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in all major college baseball polls entering the NCAA tournament.

In any given year, the College World Series can be wildly unpredictable. But when the regionals and Super Regionals were so full of upsets, the most sensible move for the CWS opener is to fade the favorite.

Coastal Carolina has the edge in pitching, but Arizona excelled in manufacturing crucial runs in their two wins in Chapel Hill, and the Wildcats are 20-3 in one and two-run games this season. This dog has some serious bite.

Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina Prediction: Arizona to win

Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina Picks: Arizona +1.5 (+105 at BetOnline) and Arizona ML (+199 at BetOnline)

Other College Baseball Betting Content

Ride with Betting News on the road to Omaha as we cover the NCAA baseball tournament, from the regionals, to the super regionals, to the College World Series.

Are you new to betting on college baseball or CWS odds? Several of our sports betting guides can be valuable resources. That includes our guide to futures bets, our MLB run line betting guide, and our comparison between moneyline and point spread betting.