The College World Series is the championship finals of NCAA men’s baseball. It is held annually in June in Omaha, Nebraska to culminate the 64-team NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament. Eight teams advance to this stage and are split into two, four-team brackets. The winners of each bracket play in a best-of-three championship series to decide the National Championship.
The College World Series is a pretty big deal in North Carolina since the state is often well-represented in the NCAA baseball tournament as a whole. In 2022, two of the 16 first-round regionals were held in North Carolina and a total of five college baseball teams from North Carolina appeared in the tournament. Unfortunately, none made it to the College World Series. In fact, only one North Carolina school has ever won a National Championship in baseball: Wake Forest in 1955. The University of North Carolina did make it to two consecutive College World Series Finals in 2006 and 2007 but finished second both times.
There aren’t a ton of options for betting on college baseball. Most of the online sportsbooks expected to launch in North Carolina soon will take bets only on the College World Series, not on regular season games. However, that may just serve to up the ante for College World Series betting in the Tar Heel State.
Read on to learn more about the College World Series, check in with the current odds, and discover the best sportsbook sites and apps for betting on the CWS.
College World Series betting odds
Best College World Series odds
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook may be the only sportsbook in the country with college baseball odds posted throughout the regular season. College baseball lines at DraftKings include run lines, moneylines, and totals for every NCAA Division I baseball game.
Of course, DraftKings also posts lines for every game in every stage of the NCAA baseball tournament and College World Series. Plus, there’s a complete NCAA baseball futures market where you can bet on teams to win the College World Series all year long. In March 2023, Wake Forest (+1800) was in the third tier of favorites to win the National Championship. The University of North Carolina (+3000) stood in about the fifth tier, while North Carolina State (+6000) was a middling longshot.
Caesars Sportsbook
College baseball odds are available only for specific regular season games at Caesars Sportsbook, but run lines, moneylines and totals are available for most NCAA Division I baseball games on the platform. Every College World Series game makes that list, and College World Series futures are available all year long.
In March 2023, Wake Forest (+1800) was in the third or fourth tier of favorites to win the National Championship at Caesars. The University of North Carolina (+3500) was in the fifth or sixth tier, while North Carolina State (+7500) was a growing longshot.
FanDuel Sportsbook
College baseball odds are available for only a limited number of regular season games at FanDuel Sportsbook, and even then it’s usually only moneyline betting. However, the offering usually expands for College World Series games, and CWS futures are available.
In March 2023, Wake Forest (+1100) was in the second tier of favorites to win the National Championship at FanDuel. The University of North Carolina (+4200) was in about the sixth tier, while North Carolina State (+8500) was a deepening longshot.
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook claims to have “the best baseball betting odds and lines for college baseball competitions.” However, in March 2023, we could not find them on the platform. It’s probably safe to assume college baseball odds are limited to College World Series games and futures. Unfortunately, the College World Series futures market at BetMGM is not available all year long.
How to bet on CWS baseball online in NC
Once North Carolina allows online sportsbooks to launch, betting on the College World Series will be a simple task. You’ll be able to bet on College World Series futures all year long, or you can wait for June and hammer the College World Series game lines and outrights throughout the event. Here’s how to do either or both:
- Click on any licensed North Carolina online sportsbook link you find on this page.
- Click on the ‘Join’ tab. It may also say ‘Sign Up’ or ‘Register.’
- Fill out the registration forms with all the required information, including your name, email, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and the promo or bonus code you may find listed here.
- Accept the terms and conditions, submit the forms, and wait for approval.
Once approved, you can deposit funds into your account with credit and debit cards or your PayPal account. Then, it’s just a matter of browsing through whatever college baseball lines are currently available, clicking on a bet you like, and filling out the instantly created bet slip to place a bet.
Just remember, the odds on game lines and futures are subject to change, but you lock in the odds on your bet when you place it.
Best College World Series odds boosts and promos
Sportsbooks may offer college baseball promos and bonuses surrounding the College World Series in June. Here’s a look at the kind of new player bonuses and promos you can use to bet on the College World Series available from the top online sportsbook brands in the country all year long.
- DraftKings Sportsbook: Bet $5 Win $150 promo, plus a $50 bonus bet on deposit and a $1,000 deposit bonus.
- Caesars Sportsbook: Get 1,000 Caesars Reward Credits, 1,000 Tier Credits, and your first bet on Caesars for up to $1,250.
- BetMGM Sportsbook: Get up to $1,000 paid back in bonus bets if you lose your first bet.
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Get up to a $1,000 No Sweat First Bet.
Can I live bet on the CWS?
Sportsbooks that post College World Series game lines ahead of the games may let you bet on those same lines during the games at odds that can change with every at-bat. Sportsbook apps will run a live odds feed changing the run line, moneyline, and totals odds based on the inning, score, and whatever is currently happening in the game.
What are the CWS odds markets?
Let’s cover the basic College World Series lines and odds, explained in detail below.
Moneylines: You pick a winner and book your bet at currently posted moneyline odds. If that team wins the game, you win.
If North Carolina is at +105 on the moneyline against Wake Forest at -115, a $100 bet on the Tar Heels would pay $105 plus your bet back if they win. A $115 bet on the Demon Deacons would pay $100 plus your bet back if they win.
Run lines: Run lines are like point spreads for baseball. You have to factor in the run line to the final score to determine which side of a bet wins. Standard run lines are set at 1.5, but alternatives may be available. At 1.5, you bet that the favored team will win by two or more, or that the underdog will win outright or lose by only one run.
With a 1.5-run line in a UNC-Wake game, the board will read Wake Forest -1.5 (+110) and North Carolina +1.5 (-105). The Demon Deacons are the moneyline favorite, but with the run line factored in, North Carolina is the betting favorite. Wake Forest needs to win by two or more for run-line bets on the Demon Deacons to win. You can win betting on North Carolina with the run line if they win outright or lose by just one.
Totals: Totals are bets on whether the final combined score of a game will be over or under a line set by sportsbooks.
Futures: Bet on any team to win the College World Series. Book your bet at the currently posted odds available all year long. Lock in the College Baseball World Series odds when you place your bet no matter how much they change throughout the season. Get the best odds on the favorites when you book your bet early.
Who has won the College World Series?
Here’s a look at the results of the College World Series since the final became a best-of-three series between the two four-team bracket winners in 2003:
- 2003 Rice beat Stanford 4–3, 3–8, 14–2
- 2004 Cal State Fullerton beat Texas 6–4, 3–2
- 2005 Texas beat Florida 4–2, 6–2
- 2006 Oregon State beat North Carolina 3–4, 11–7, 3–2
- 2007 Oregon State beat North Carolina 11–4, 9–3
- 2008 Fresno State beat Georgia 6–7, 19–10, 6–1
- 2009 LSU beat Texas 7–6, 1–5, 11–4
- 2010 South Carolina beat UCLA 7–1, 2–1
- 2011 South Carolina beat Florida 2–1, 5–2
- 2012 Arizona beat South Carolina 5–1, 4–1
- 2013 UCLA beat Mississippi State 3–1, 8–0
- 2014 Vanderbilt beat Virginia 9–8, 2–7, 3–2
- 2015 Virginia beat Vanderbilt 1–5, 3–0, 4–2
- 2016 Coastal Carolina beat Arizona 0–3, 5–4, 4–3
- 2017 Florida Beat LSU 4–3, 6–1
- 2018 Oregon State beat Arkansas 1–4, 5–3, 5–0
- 2019 Vanderbilt beat Michigan 4–7, 4–1, 8–2
- 2021 Mississippi State beat Vanderbilt 2–8, 13–2, 9–0
- 2022 Ole Miss beat Oklahoma 10–3, 4–2
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