The odds are in for Texas A&M and Florida’s opening matchup in the College World Series. Per Draft Kings, Texas A&M is a -195 favorite to win. In comparison, Florida is a +150 underdog.
Texas A&M didn’t earn Las Vegas’ favor by accident. The Aggies are 49-13 this season and boast a 5-0 record in the NCAA Tournament. Most recently, Texas A&M defeated Oregon in back-to-back games to secure a spot in the CWS for the second time in the past three years.
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Despite the odds, Texas A&M went 1-2 against Florida earlier this season when the two teams met. The series was extremely close, with each team scoring 18 runs between their three games. Texas A&M head coach Jim Scholssnagle has faith the bright lights will not startle his team.
“We believe that mental skills and mental toughness is a learned skill. It can be practiced,” Schlossnagle said. “When you come to our program, that is something we value more than the baseball skill. Ask our hitters what we did the first day we got together in August. We went over your routine at home plate when you get punched in the mouth, get a bad call from an umpire or take a bad swing.
“We practice all of those things so that when we get into tough moments, the guys can just do what they do. You’re always going to face adrenaline and adversity, so just go back to the mental skills. That will allow us to be just fine.”
Florida will look to shatter Texas A&M’s calm demeanor, and it has the talent to do so. Despite finishing the regular season with a 13-17 record in conference play, the Gators have been red-hot down the stretch.
The team is 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament and stunningly swept Clemson at home in the super regionals. Jac Caglianone has led the charge for the Gators, tallying 10 RBIs and four home runs through Florida’s six games in the NCAA Tournament.
Schlossnagle knows his team can’t allow Caglianone to find his rhythm on Saturday.
“Jac Caglianone is a game-changing player,” Schlossnagle said. “As Kevin O’Sullivan teams usually do, they’re here at the end. They’re talented and overcome a lot. We’re the exact same. We’ve dealt with injuries and have guys get better over the course of the season. We’ll see how it goes on Saturday night.”
On Saturday, Texas A&M and Florida will face off at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.