Texas baseball given slim odds to win College World Series

May 31 begins Texas baseball's quest to advance to return to the College World Series for the first time in two years. Head coach David Pierce and three-seed Texas battle the two-seed Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the first game of their postseason journey for the second year in a row in the College Station Regional.

This is the second straight year that Pierce and the Longhorns will be looking to win their regional that is not being hosted in Austin. Last year, the Longhorns swept the Coral Gables Regional, including back-to-back wins over the Miami Hurricanes after a regional-opening win over Louisiana.

A win over the Ragin' Cajuns could pit the Longhorns against the in-state rival Texas A&M Aggies in the winners' bracket in the College Station Regional. If Texas does face Texas A&M in this regional, it would be the first time these rivals squared off in the postseason since the 2022 College World Series.

While Pierce's squad is facing an uphill battle to make an NCAA record 63rd appearance in the College World Series, it's not out of the question that they make a deep run this postseason. Outside of the disappointing two-and-out run in the Big 12 Tournament last week, the Longhorns have been impressive in conference play during the regular season's second half.

Texas won six-straight Big 12 series to cap the regular season with a record of 35-22 (20-10 Big 12), including three series wins over top 25 opponents. The Longhorns also had their fair share of doubters entering the Coral Gables Regional last postseason, and they were just one unfortunate play away from returning to the College World Series in 2023.

If Texas gets consistent results from the bullpen and the heart of the order shows up again in regionals, the Longhorns will be a dangerous team to watch this postseason.

Here's a look at the odds for the Longhorns to win the College World Series in 2024 (per FanDuel).

How the oddsmakers are viewing Texas baseball as a potential College World Series dark horse

Texas A&M Aggies (+550)

Tennessee Volunteers (+550)

Arkansas Razorbacks (+900)

Kentucky Wildcats (+1000)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+1500)

North Carolina Tar Heels (+1600)

Clemson Tigers (+1800)

Georgia Bulldogs (+1800)

LSU Tigers (+1800)

Florida State Seminoles (+2000)

Oregon State Beavers (+2200)

Duke Blue Devils (+2900)

Virginia Cavaliers (+3100)

Oklahoma Sooners (+3100)

Mississippi State Bulldogs (+3400)

North Carolina State Wolfpack (+4000)

Oklahoma State Cowboys (+4000)

Vanderbilt Commodores (+4500)

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (+4500)

UC Irvine Anteaters (+5000)

Arizona Wildcats (+5000)

South Carolina Gamecocks (+5000)

East Carolina Pirates (+6000)

Dallas Baptist Patriots (+6000)

Indiana State Sycamores (+6000)

Texas Longhorns (+7000)

Florida Gators (+7000)

Nebraska Cornhuskers (+7000)

The Longhorns are tied with Florida and Nebraska for the 26th best odds to win the College World Series. Texas is one of three teams, including the Oklahoma schools, from the Big 12 that rank among the top 30 with the best odds to win in Omaha this postseason.

Texas's regional host, Texas A&M, is tied with the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament Tennessee for the best odds to win the College World Series.

Pierce's squad has the second-best odds of the four teams competing in the College Station Regional to win the College World Series.

Warren Nolan's Regional projections gives the Longhorns an 8.6 percent chance of winning the College Station Regional.

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