Mississippi State baseball vs St. John's prediction, odds for NCAA tournament regionals
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Charlottesville Regional features a pair of programs looking to make the most of their return to the NCAA Tournament.
Mississippi State baseball is the No. 2 seed in the regional, marking the Bulldogs' first trip to the postseason since winning a national title in 2021.
To open play Friday (6 p.m., ESPN+), MSU (38-21) faces No. 3 seed and Big East tournament champion St. John's (37-16-1) − the Red Storm's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.
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In the other half of the regional, there are two teams familiar with recent postseason experience.
No. 1 seed Virginia (41-15) is the host in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. No. 4 seed Penn (24-23), the winner of the Ivy League tournament, is making its second straight postseason appearance after making noise in the Auburn Regional last year.
Here's our prediction for Mississippi State's meeting with St. John's along with the betting odds for the matchup.
MORE: Watch Mississippi State baseball vs. St. John's with ESPN+ (subscribe now)
Mississippi State baseball vs St. John's prediction in NCAA regional bracket
Mississippi State beats St. John's, 4-2: MSU's offense comes into the Charlottesville Regional off a sluggish offensive showing at the SEC tournament. Against a quality St. John's pitching staff, scoring could be difficult. However, with Khal Stephen on the mound, Mississippi State is hard to pick against.
Mississippi State vs. St. John's odds in 2024 NCAA tournament
Mississippi State baseball is favored (-450) to beat St. John's on Friday, according to BetMGM.
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Mississippi State baseball odds to win 2024 College World Series
Mississippi State is a longshot to win the College World Series (+4000), according to BetMGM.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State vs St. John's prediction for NCAA baseball regional