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 PickBest Bet

CHI White Sox Win(-115)

Reasoning

The last game of the night features the Chicago White Sox and the San Francisco Giants on a typical cool and windy night in the Bay. The Giants return home after getting swept in the desert. They’re just not a very good team this year, but have you noticed the White Sox? The Sox are above .500, they sit in 2nd in the AL Central and they have the 5th-best record in the AL. In other words, as we approach the quarter pole of the season, the Chicago White Sox would actually be a playoff team at the moment — not bad! I do not recall the last time we could make the White Sox a 5-star best bet, but we are doing it tonight! Let’s play the White Sox on the money line.

Davis Martin takes the ball for the Sox. You can be forgiven for not knowing who he is, but he is having a great season. His worst start of the year was his first one, and that was 5 innings with 3 runs allowed. Since then, he has only once allowed 2 runs, and he has logged a quality start in 7 of his 8 games — the 8th game fell only 1 out short of a quality start. Martin is flat-out dealing right now. He will face Trevor McDonald, who will be making his 4th start for the Giants. He has been solid also, but the biggest issue for the Giants’ pitchers has been run support. The Giants have the worst scoring offense in the league, producing less than 3.5 runs per game. This is a great spot for the White Sox, so I’m backing them with confidence.

White Sox vs Giants Prediction: Chicago White Sox ML (-115) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -130.

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Chad Hartsock

Money Line Pick

STL Cardinals Win(+100)

Reasoning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds are set to play this weekend in the Queen City. These rivals reside in the crowded NL Central, where everyone is above .500. The Reds won 2 of 3 in Philadelphia earlier this week, while the Cardinals ran into a tough pitching staff in Pittsburgh and dropped 2 of 3. On Friday, the weather is a significant factor, as there is rain in the forecast that could make it hard to get this game in at all. That probably makes this a “stay away” spot for me, but if we are playing it, I am going with the Cardinals in the series opener.

The fact that Chris Paddock has reemerged as a Major League starter should tell you all you need to know about the state of the Cincinnati pitching staff. He made his team debut a few days ago, and it went about as you would expect. How the Reds are still favored with Paddock set to start is a mystery to me. The Cardinals will go with Kyle Leahy. Leahy struggled a bit to open the season, but he has turned in 3 good starts in a row — allowing no more than 1 run in each. If you are backing the Reds, you are banking on them outslugging the Cardinals, but I don’t love that angle. St. Louis has been a surprise offense, and they have the better pitcher here. I’ll take that.

Cardinals vs Reds Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals ML (+100) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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Chad Hartsock