The first pitch of the 2022 Auburn baseball season takes place today in Arlington, Texas for the State Farm College Baseball Showdown, with Oklahoma occupying the opposing dugout.
This is a much different Tigers team than last season and is naturally even more unfamiliar to the 2019 College World Series team than year’s past.
Still, transfers like Samford transfer portal entry Sonny DiChiara and JUCO jumper Blake Rambusch will add pop to the lineup in the stead of sluggers like Ryan Bliss, Rankin Woley, Tyler Miller, and Judd Ward.
DiChiara won’t be adding the pop just yet, as he will make his 2022 debut on the Plains and not in the Lone Star State this weekend. Notre Dame transfer Tommy Sheehan will be debuting on the mound, though, as the season tips off on a February Texas morning.
Fly War Eagle has the odds, line, and TV Channel for the matchup while laying down a prediction:
Auburn baseball vs Oklahoma Odds: Line, Spread, Over/Under
Auburn and Oklahoma are a currently at even odds (-115). The over/under run total is 13 (Under -120, Over -110).
Auburn vs Oklahoma Prediction
What this one comes down to is whether or not Sheehan can shake off the jitters and yips after undergoing Tommy John surgery that ended his 2021 season in March of last year. He just pitched to a live batter for the first time three weeks ago after beginning his pitching program in the spring.
Oklahoma had a weak pitching staff a year ago, one that ultimately held the Sooners back enough to finish with a losing record. They’re also losing two of their top three hitters from their lineup.
Give us a few good innings from Sheehan and a strong showing from veteran bats like Brody Moore and Kason Howell, and hammer us the Tigers ML (-115) on an exciting Auburn baseball opening day.