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 3

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

TOR Blue Jays Win(-125)

Reasoning

The Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins have a quick turnaround on Saturday after Friday night’s game. The Jays won Friday to even the series, and they send their best pitcher to the mound on Saturday afternoon. The defending AL champs have had a rough April, and that has been compounded by numerous injuries. Still, they should be in the better position to win on Saturday. I am taking the Blue Jays on the Money Line.

I like Dylan Cease, and he has pitched well so far for the Blue Jays. His last outing was the first of the year in which he has allowed more than 2 runs. I doubt he follows that up with another rough start. The trick with Cease, of course, is that he rarely goes deep into games. Between the strikeouts and the walks, he goes deep into far too many counts. The Twins will be starting rookie Connor Prielipp. Prielipp has logged a pair of good starts so far. Still, I like the Toronto offense a bit more. They got Springer back this week, and that has helped a bit. But let’s back Dylan Cease over a rookie counterpart and see where that takes us.

Blue Jays vs Twins Prediction: Blue Jays ML (-125) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -140.

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Money Line Pick

BOS Red Sox Win(-125)

Reasoning

The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox begin a series on Friday night. These have been 2 of the most disappointing teams in baseball so far, and each team has only 12 wins on the season. Both also sit in last place in their division. The Red Sox have already fired a coach, and this week they lost Garrett Crochet to the IL. Tonight would have been his start. For the Astros, the problem has been pitching — as they have the worst team ERA in baseball. So we have a lot going on in this spot tonight, and this is a tough spot for bettors. With trepidation, I am taking the Red Sox to win.

In place of Crochet, the Sox will call up Jake Bennett. Bennett was a second-round pick a couple of years ago and then had Tommy John (as they all do these days). He is a big guy but not necessarily an overpowering arm, but he has several pitches and draws a lot of weak contact. He looks like a mid-rotation pitcher. He will face Mike Burrows, who is probably only starting because the Houston rotation is a MASH unit. The Astros have the better offense, but I will take my chances with the rookie pitcher — knowing that once the Houston bullpen gets involved, everything usually gets silly. Give me the Red Sox.

Astros vs Red Sox prediction: Boston ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable to -135.

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Game Totals Pick

Under 7.0(-110)

Reasoning

Friday at 1:20 PM CT is the best time in baseball. It is matinee baseball at Wrigley Field, as the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were off yesterday, and the D-Backs wish they were. Arizona was drubbed 13-1 by Milwaukee in an absolute disaster game. The only upside to that game for Arizona was that they basically gave the bullpen the day off. On Friday, we ask the most important question for a Wrigley game: what is the weather? It is going to be cold (40s) with the wind blowing in. That’s all I need to hear. Give me the game total under.

When it is cold and windy at Wrigley, I am pretty much an auto-under. The pitchers are Zac Gallen and Colin Rea. Gallen had to leave his last start early with an injury, but he did not end up missing any time. He has been good this season as he looks to rebuild from a bad 2025, and he is better than Rea. However, on cold days like this, it is just tough to pitch. It is even harder to hit, especially with the wind blowing in. I’ll be betting on the weather on Friday. The total sits at 7, and I don’t really want to chase it much lower, but runs should be at a premium.

Diamondbacks vs Cubs prediction: Under 7 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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