Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 Prediction, Picks & Odds Tonight: College World Series Preview & Best Bets

And then there were two: No. 6 LSU (46-15) will play as the home team versus No. 13 Coastal Carolina on Saturday night in Game 1 of the College Baseball World Series Finals.

We’ll dive into our Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 prediction and odds ahead of the 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) first pitch, with LSU trading as a -172 favorite in the College World Series odds.

✅ Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 prediction & picks

In a surprising move, Coastal will save ace pitcher Jacob Morrison (12-0, 2.08 ERA) for tomorrow. That creates a likely matchup between LSU ace Kade Anderson (11-1, 3.44 ERA) and Coastal’s second pitcher, Cameron Flukey (7-1, 3.34 ERA). 

There isn’t a meaningful rest advantage here. Both Flukey and Anderson last pitched on the first day of the tournament. Both teams took care of business in three games, keeping the bullpen arms fresh and not preventing the rotation from turning over.

Pitchers can’t win games without baserunners, and that’s where the trouble for Coastal lies. LSU ranks 32nd in OPS (.919) on the year, but Coastal ranks a dreadful 98th (.852). While they lead college baseball in hit batters (178), Anderson has hit three all year.

🆚 Who will win Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1?

Let’s turn back the clock two years. The LSU is again in the College World Series, this time taking on Florida. The Tigers escaped with a one-run win in Game 1 before getting blown up in the third inning of Game 2, a game they would go on to lose by 20.

College baseball teams don’t have arms to waste in Omaha, and a bad start can force a coach to start mop-up duty early. If LSU manages to go up first, the odds that they win by multiple runs are pretty high. Said another way, if LSU’s moneyline odds are accurate at 63.2%, a multi-run win is likelier than the 45.1% the run line suggests.  

The Coastal coaching staff knows it has a great chance to trip up LSU tomorrow with Jacob Morrison. Look for both head coaches to manager their bullpens accordingly.

✅ Best pick: LSU -1.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📊 Best odds: +122 via FanDuel ($10 to win $12.20)

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📊 Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 betting odds

Here are the live Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 odds for tonight's game:

🆚 Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 pitching matchup

• LSU: TBA, projected Kade Anderson (11-1, 3.44 ERA)
• Coastal Carolina: Cameron Flukey (7-1, 3.34 ERA)

While Flukey isn’t the lead man in the Coastal rotation, he is no slouch, either. He stands 6-foot-6 and has a powerful fastball, racking up an impressive 10.6 K/9. The problem is that Anderson averages an even more impressive 13.9 K/9 while issuing just 2.5 BB/9 – all while averaging just over six innings per start.

Once these teams turn to their bullpens, Coastal has the leg up – the question is just whether they’ll make a move to it without a lead. Coastal’s team ERA (3.23) ranks second in all of college baseball, edging out 10th-place LSU (3.88) by a wider margin than the one between LSU and 28th-ranked Arkansas State.

📺 How to watch Coastal Carolina vs. LSU Game 1 tonight

📅 Date: Saturday, June 21
🕒 Start time: 7 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Charles Schwab Field (Omaha, Neb.)
📺 TV: ESPN/ESPN+

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