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

Money Line Pick

HOU Astros Win(+100)

Reasoning

The Houston Astros host the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend for an interleague series. Both teams come in hot, winners of 7 of their last 10 games. The Brewers have been doing this all season, and they just swept the division rival Cardinals this week. The Astros have only gotten hot recently after struggling in the early part of the season. They took 2 of 3 games from the Rangers earlier this week, and they were also part of the massive Cubs losing streak. We have some relatively unknown arms on the mound on Friday, which makes this game a bit harder to predict, but I am going with the home-standing Astros on the money line. As of the time of this writing, that can be nabbed at even money.

The Brewers will turn to Coleman Crow on Friday, who is stepping into the rotation spot vacated by the injured Logan Henderson. Crow has made 2 spot starts for the Brew Crew, both of them effective enough, even if only 5 innings. He will face Kai-Wei Teng, who has recently joined the Houston rotation, which is not a 6-man situation. Teng has yet to allow a run in his 2 starts, spanning 11 innings. After the starters are gone, Milwaukee certainly had the bullpen advantage, as the Astros have the worst bullpen ERA in the league. Still, they have shown some signs of improvement lately, and the Houston offense has been hitting well. Call it a hunch, but I like the Astros tonight.

Brewers vs Astros Prediction: Houston Astros ML (+100) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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Money Line PickBest Bet

ATL Braves Win(-140)

Reasoning

The Atlanta Braves head to Cincinnati for the weekend, and they arrive sporting the best record in baseball. The Braves have done while overcoming a ton of early injuries, too. The pitching staff was almost entirely a replacement staff at one point, and several key bats have been hurt at times. Nevertheless, the Braves keep winning. The Reds are playing good baseball themselves, even if they are in 4th place in the crowded NL Central. Still, it is hard to go against the Braves here for multiple of reasons, and I will be grabbing this line before it inevitably loses value.

The Braves should have the advantage on the mound as Grant Holmes faces Chris Paddock. Holmes will not go deep into the game, but the innings he gives Atlanta are almost always quality. Paddock, on the other hand, is a pitcher I never want anything to do with. The Reds are trying to milk the last couple of drops out of his career, but in 2 starts with the Reds, Paddock has allowed 5 runs in 10 innings of work. Being a groundball pitcher helps mitigate Great American a little bit, but still, this is not a guy I want to back. Both guys are likely done by the 5th inning, so the bullpens are important. Atlanta has the 3rd-best bullpen ERA in the league. Cincinnati? The 4th-worst. Give me the Braves, all day.

Braves vs Reds Prediction: Atlanta Braves ML (-140) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -160.

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Chad Hartsock