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

Run Line Pick

CLE Guardians -1.5(+125)

Reasoning

The Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians finish rivalry weekend with a rubber match. This series has seen a surprising amount of scoring so far for a couple offensively-challenged teams. The Reds won 7-6 on Friday, while the Guardians clapped back for a 7-4 win on Saturday. Looking for another high-scoring game on Sunday would probably be the most obvious play, especially with 2 struggling arms on the mound, but those are also the games that tend to trap up. I expect the Guardians to win, and I am going to get greedy and chase the plus money on the run line.

Brady Singer has been bad for the Reds. Most nights, he struggles to get to the 5^th inning, and he is allowing way too much hard contact. Several of the Guardians have seen him a ton during his time in Kansas City, and the Guards can also stack up a lineup full of lefties to leverage the platoon advantage. On the other side is Gavin Williams. Williams, to be fair, has given up at least 5 runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, so it isn’t like he is having a Cy Young season either. He has shown some promising signs lately though, and the Reds are way overdue for an offensive disappearing act, as they have done far too often this season. I am taking Cleveland to win comfortably.

Reds vs Guardians Prediction: Guardians -1.5 (+125) available at the time of publishing. Playable to +120; after that, pivot back to the money line.

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Chad Hartsock