College Baseball Betting: Expert Picks for Sunday, March 1

Gavin Grahovac and Texas A&M square off against Arizona State on Sunday night, and John Venezia reveals which side of the matchup he is favoring.
College Baseball Betting: Expert Picks for Sunday, March 1

Welcome to March! It's a fantastic month -- especially for sports -- with spring on the horizon.

To close out February, Team JohnnyVTV made it count! An absolute monster of a Saturday slate was one for the books, as we went 6-0 and cashed north of 7.0 units along with a banger of a long-shot parlay. 

With the new month here, things are starting to heat up on the college diamond. Let's start this one off the right way!

Arizona State Sun Devils (+120) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (-154) | Total: 13

The night cap of a fantastic tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas is set to be both a duel and litmus test for both squads. Arizona State dropped its first two games while Texas A&M enters 1-1. 

With the Aggies getting rinsed Saturday night by UCLA in an 11-1 run-rule contest, they are looking for a quick bounceback. Aiden Sims projects to get the ball in this one, fresh off a seven-inning, one-run, 10-strikeout outing against Penn last Sunday. In his first year as a weekend guy for A&M, Sims is flashing a low-to-mid 90s heater combined with a slider that draws some swings and misses. 

Sims will take on an ASU offense that has struggled against tough competition, only mustering seven runs in their first two contests. One of the reasons I was down on this team coming into the year after being so high on them in 2025 was simply because their lineup was gutted. The 2025 Arizona State lineup was a juggernaut with some serious star power. However, they lost several key bats in Kien Vu, Brandon Compton and Isiah Jackson. The only legit proven threat returning from last season is Nu'u Contrades, who is hitting .341 with four homers on the young season. Some of the newer starters are the returning Landon Hairston (.415 BA, 3 HR) and Cincinnati transfer PJ Moutzouridis (.375 BA). Still, this Sun Devils offense is capable of scoring runs. Sims won't have an easy task in this one, and working low in the zone against an aggressive lineup will be key. 

Arizona State is rolling out Jaden Alba, who made some weekend starts last year behind Ben Jacobs and Jack Martinez. I'm a fan of Alba and am hoping he makes the jump to a successful weekend starter. He owns seven shutout innings through two relief appearances and will be making his first start of the season. Alba faces an Aggies offense that does possess some big-time boppers, including potential 2026 first-round picks Caden Sorrell, Gavin Grahovac and Chris Hacopian. Hacopian didn't play Saturday night due to an injury, but he did homer Friday night. His status remains in question. 

I like Texas A&M because the got embarrassed by UCLA in a nationally-televised game. A team with this much talent is primed to get back on track as conference play nears. I think the big advantage will be later in the game, as Arizona State has had some real issues in the bullpen in recent seasons. The line should be closer to Texas A&M -180, giving us a nice value play in this one.

The Pick: Texas A&M ML (-154 DraftKings)

Follow me all season long on my Breaking Bet podcast and Discord for picks and breakdowns.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Venezia has covered the NFL, MLB, and College Baseball for betting and fantasy for more than six years. His recent stints include NBC Sports, Bet Karma, Bettor Sports Network, and Fantasy Life.
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