The Stanford Cardinal will host an opening round of the College World Series for the 17th time as the Cardinal host the Wright State Raiders at 10 p.m. EST on Friday. Stanford, the No. 1 seed in its region, hosts Baylor and Cal State Fullerton as well. All the action will take place at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond from June 1-4.
Stanford finished the season ranked No. 5 and landed the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament. The Cardinal finished 44-10 overall and 22-8 in the Pac-12, clinching their first Pac-12 championship since 2004. Stanford is a tough matchup at home, where the Cardinal finished 30-3. They won their final eight home games of the season.
The Raiders finished 39-15 and 22-6 Horizon. Wright State is red hot, having won its last eight games. Wright State claimed its conference title with wins over Youngstown State and Illinois at Chicago.
This is the first matchup between the two schools.
Game Odds
BetDSI Sportsbook has released odds, which you can view below, for this matchup.
Wright State Raiders +280
Stanford Cardinal -400
Spread -3.5
Over/Under 11
Game Preview
Stanford versus Wright State will air on ESPN2, while all games in this region will be available on ESPN3.com.
Gabe Snyder is Wright State’s biggest offensive threat. This season, he batted .363, drilled 15 home runs, and amassed 72 RBIs.
Gabe “Ruth” Snyder is your 2018 #HLBase Player of the Year AND All-League First Team member! #Raidergang pic.twitter.com/aaj9RdtaYd
— Wright St. Baseball (@WSUBaseball) May 22, 2018
Ryan Weiss is the Raiders’ top pitcher. He started 15 games and finished 9-2 with a 3.40 ERA. Weiss has persevered on the mound despite tremendous difficulties in his personal life.
If you don’t have a team to root for in the NCAA tournament, read this piece from Tom Archdeacon on how @WSUBaseball pitcher Ryan Weiss is coping with the loss of both parents and the Raiders will be an easy choice: https://t.co/boHWahx6pJ pic.twitter.com/yF0LmgKGxg
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonCMG) May 30, 2018
Stanford looks to junior shortstop Nico Hoerner for leadership. The preseason All-American lived up to the hype. He hit .349 while leading his team in virtually every offensive category. He totaled 75 hits, 14 stolen bases, and 22 multi-hit games. His MLB stock is rising.
Also like #Stanford Nico Hoerner as a player, bat should play, good feel for the barrel, some bat speed there, uses the whole field. Above average runner. However think he’s better suited at 2B. Can handle spot duty at SS.
— Spencer Hansen (@SpenceHans_2080) May 26, 2018
.@StanfordBSB‘s Nico Hoerner is on the 📈📈📈https://t.co/P0AJtpfML4
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 29, 2018
.@nico_hoerner came through with the game-winning RBI, beating out an infield single to score @adubillson. 💯 #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/pDPOs8v2jB
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) May 27, 2018
Prediction
BetDSI favors the Cardinal, and so do we. The team’s success in the Pac-12 prepared it for a deep run in the College World Series. It would be a big surprise if Stanford failed to make it out of its regional.
Wright State has a solid squad, but Stanford is one of the best teams in the country. With leadership from Hoerner and new head coach David Esquer, the Cardinal should cruise in their opening matchup.
