This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
The first weekend of college baseball -- and college baseball picks -- is in the books. The usual ebbs and flows of the sport were on display early. I'm definitely seeing some potential upsets on Frida's slate, so tune into Breaking Bet for more insight.
Let's get ready to lock in for a big weekend on the diamond.
Iowa Hawkeyes (-145) @ FAU Owls (+114) | Total: N/A
We have all season for the Power Four matchups, but early in the year, it's nice to highlight some of the mid-major programs. Friday's slate doesn't have a ton of great games to bet on with a lot of the popular teams being rather large favorites. As noted, there are some upsets looming on the board, but some are big underdogs that are more sprinkle plays.
Florida Atlantic has turned out some talent in recent years, most notably Angels first baseman and former first-rounder Nolan Schanuel. Despite being a mid-major program, they recruit a lot of the Florida talent that doesn't end up at Miami, Florida or Florida State. They lost 2025 ace Trey Beard to FSU, but a new face has stepped into the Friday night role.
James Litman, a local kid from Boca, is the arm to profile as he assumes the ace role for the Owls to kick off 2026. After displaying some talent last year, he's ready to make the leap. Against Notre Dame last weekend he went a solid four innings, allowing one earned run while striking out nine batters. While the Irish aren't a top-tier program at the moment, Iowa isn't either.
Litman had some growing pains in 2025, but 15 starts as a true freshman helped him develop and mature for an impact role as a sophomore. His low-to-mid 90s heater plays up due to rise and arm angle, and it is accompanied by a curveball and changeup that provide different angles and new looks. He will see an Iowa offense that didn't retain much in the power department, but did keep some big time batting average guys.
Caleb Wulf (.362 BA), Jaixen Frost (.305), Gable Mitchell (.329) and Bryce Phelps-Wagner (.399) all cleared the .300 mark. Given the small sample size and quality of competition last week, it's tough to know at this point what to expect. The Hawkeyes lost 15-6 to Kansas State, beat Air Force 4-3 and beat Northeastern 21-13 at the Desert Invitational. If Litman can keep the free passes to a minimum and work batters like he did last week, he should have his team in position to win.
For Iowa, Tyler Guerin draws another start after being bombarded by Kansas State last Friday. Lasting just three frames, he issued five walks and allowed seven earned runs. There is a difference in offenses this time around, but FAU does return two key bats from a season ago in Brando Leroux (.319 BA, five HR, 10 SB) and Marshall Lipsey (.318 BA, 12 HR, 17 SB). Additionally, the Hawkeyes expect transfers Michael Perazza (West Virginia) and Brett Patten (JUCO) to play meaningful roles. Guerin is making his fourth career start and has logged only 16.2 innings with Iowa.
Sometimes the thing with college baseball is digging in the mud to find an advantage. In this case, FAU is at home with a pitching advantage. As a result, Iowa should not be favored in what is more likely a pick'em line rather than a -145 advantage.
Because they are mid-major, FAU gets slept on, but John McCormack is a great head coach who gets a lot of from his players. I think the Owls sneak out a victory Friday night.
The Pick: FAU ML (+114 DraftKings)
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