Chad Hartsock

Consultant

Chad is a teacher and minister by training, and a fantasy sports enthusiast and sports bettor by hobby. Chad lives in the Great Smoky Mountains, and he especially loves NCAAF, NFL, NCAAB, and MLB. Chad has been handicapping for Pickswise since 2022.

Live Picks 1

Live Parlays 0

Weekly News Articles 0

Location

Tennessee

Favorite Sports

Favorite Teams

Greatest Betting Win

I have two favorite betting memories. My favorite bet, and my biggest single win, was the 2022 Super Bowl exact result–Rams over Bengals. I placed the futures bet at the beginning of the playoffs when both teams were the #4 seed, and it carried something like +1500 odds. Those playoffs were fun.

Greatest Achievements

As a proud Baylor alum, it would have to be betting on Baylor basketball to win the 2021 national championship. I do not blindly back my team, but Baylor was an underdog to Gonzaga and I saw that win coming, so I emptied my account on it.

Education

Chad has a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman University, a masters of divinity from Baylor University, and an Ph.D. in biblical studies from Baylor University. He taught at the college level for 11 years (thus earning the nickname “the Professor” in some betting circles). Chad has published two books and numerous academic articles, but sports writing came along later, first as a hobby and now as a daily activity.

Experience

Chad has been playing fantasy sports since 2003, and betting for as long as it has been legal in Tennessee. Chad also loves casino sportsbooks and table games, and he frequently turns up at Harrah’s in Cherokee NC or the Hard Rock Casino in Bristol VA. He began his handicapping career with friends on a small website and podcast in 2021 (the now-archived ScoopAndScoreSports.com, a venture that fizzled out because none of them knew how to run a website properly.) He joined the Pickswise team in 2022, and he writes college football, college basketball, and MLB. Chad has been among the team’s best pickers in each of those sports, and he loves nothing more than getting a pick right for the Pickswise community, especially when the public is going the other way.

Favorite betting market / type

Same Game Parlays & Player Props.

Favorite bookmakers

Chad's Picks

Money Line Pick

CLE Guardians Win(-185)

Reasoning

It is getaway day as the Washington Nationals finish a series with the Cleveland Guardians. It is hard not to like what the Nationals are doing right now, winning 4 in a row and pounding the Guardians for 16 runs in 2 wins so far in this series. Why are they successful? Their offense is young, talented, and aggressive. James Wood seems to go yard every couple of days, while young bats like Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile continue to emerge. This offense is fun, and they are getting just enough pitching to get by. The Guards have also leaned into the youth movement with the recent call-up of Travis Bazanna, who joins Chase DeLauter atop the batting order. On Wednesday though, I am backing the Guardians as they have their #1 pitcher on the mound against a guy I like to fade as often as I can.

Gavin Williams needs to be a streak-stopper for the Guards. He has ace-level talent, although May hasn’t been a great month for him. Still, none of the current Nats have seen him before, and Williams’ home ERA has been more than a run lower than on the road. He is facing Miles Mikolas, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me that Mikolas was actually good in his last start. That is an outlier at this point in his career. He rarely gives the Nats 5 innings (only 4 times in 11 starts), and he gives up way too much hard contact. The bullpen advantage is definitely with Cleveland as well. There is not much value in taking the Money Line here, but it is the right play. Take the Guardians to win.

Nationals vs Guardians Prediction: Guardians ML (-185) available at the time of publishing. Playable to that number

BET -190 NOW WITH

Chad Hartsock