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 2

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

Game Totals Pick

Under 7.0(-110)

Reasoning

Friday 1:20. The best time in baseball. It is Friday afternoon 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 a start. He has been good this season as he looks to rebuild from a bad 2025. He is better than Rea, but 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 at that number.

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Chad Hartsock

Money Line Pick

ARI Diamondbacks Win(+105)

Reasoning

It is getaway day on Thursday, so the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers have an afternoon dish. These teams have split the first 2 games in the series, with Milwaukee’s offense exploding on Tuesday, followed by several Arizona homers on Wednesday. With a couple of veteran arms on the mound Thursday, we should expect the offenses to be held in check a bit more. I think the wrong team is favored in this spot, so I am happy to take the Diamondbacks to win this game.

Brandon Woodruff and Michael Soroka will toe the slab on Thursday afternoon. Both guys are looking for redemption seasons, and both have started well through the first month. What moves the needle for me in this game, though, is the offenses vs right-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks, with all their switch hitters, can stack the top half of the lineups with lefties, and they have a top-10 slugging percentage vs RHP. The Brewers, on the other hand, are in the bottom 10. I think the Snakes have a much better opportunity to hit for damage than the Brewers, especially with the current construction of the Milwaukee lineup that is missing several key bats to injury. Give me the D-Backs.

Diamondbacks vs Brewers prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks ML (+105) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Chad Hartsock