Completed Event: Baseball versus (2) Georgia Tech on May 31, 2026 , Win , 15, to, 8
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Seven Sooners Selected on Day Two of MLB Draft
July 12, 2026 | Baseball
NORMAN — Seven Sooners heard their name called on the second and final day of the 2026 MLB Draft Sunday.
Jaxon Willits (Los Angeles Angels, 5th round, 141st pick), LJ Mercurius (Arizona Diamondbacks, 5th round, 148th pick), Deiten Lachance (Cleveland Guardians, 6th round, 184th pick), Camden Johnson (Kansas City Royals, 9th round, 269th pick), Mason Bixby (Tampa Bay Rays, 14th round, 413th pick), Cameron Johnson (Chicago White Sox, 15th round, 435th pick) and Nate Smithburg (Tampa Bay Rays, 18th round, 533rd pick) rounded out another impressive MLB Draft for the Oklahoma Baseball program.
Including Brendan Brock's third-round selection by the Yankees on Saturday, eight Sooners were selected in this year's draft, bringing Oklahoma's total number of draft picks to 323 in program history.
OU's eight selections marked the third straight season the Sooners have had eight picks and 13th time overall with eight or more. OU has had at least one player drafted every year since 1970, and at least one player selected in the top 10 rounds every year since 2011.
Since head coach Skip Johnson's hiring in 2018, OU has 56 draft picks and four first-round selections. Of those 56, 38 have been pitchers under Johnson's tutelage.
Willits was the first Sooner off the board on Sunday, going to the Angels in the fifth round, 23 years after his father and OU associate head coach, Reggie, was drafted by the same organization. A three-year starter at shortstop for the Sooners, Willits left his mark in the Crimson and Cream, capping his time in Norman with a national title and College World Series Most Outstanding Player honors. The Fort Cobb, Okla., product set an OU CWS record with 13 hits in Omaha, hitting a team-high .500 with one home run and five doubles to go with seven runs batted in.
Across three seasons at OU, Willits started 160 games and finished in the program top 20 for career home runs (26), RBIs (142) and walks (109). A two-time all-conference honoree across the Big 12 and SEC, Willits batted .313 his final collegiate season with 73 hits, seven home runs, three triples and a team-high 20 doubles. In the NCAA Tournament, Willits earned team-highs with 23 hits and seven doubles to go with a .442 batting average, .692 slugging clip and 13 RBIs.
Willits joins his father, Reggie (7th round, 210th pick), and his younger brother, Eli (first overall pick, 2025), as MLB Draft selections and is the ninth Sooner taken by the Angels in school history.
Mercurius is a dynamic right-handed pitcher that started the season as a starter for the Sooners before becoming an integral bullpen piece in the postseason, helping OU to the title. Mercurius appeared in 22 games on the mound and made 12 starts, one of just three Sooners to make at least 12 starts. He compiled a 7-7 record with a 4.43 ERA over a team-high 83.1 innings pitched to go with a team-high 103 strikeouts. All four of his saves, good for the second-highest mark on the roster, came in the NCAA tournament.
In seven NCAA Tournament appearances, Mercurius posted a team-best 1.19 ERA in 22.2 IP, surrendering just three earned runs with 21 strikeouts. The Las Vegas product earned the win in the Sooners national championship-clinching victory vs. North Carolina with 5.2 innings pitched while allowing only four hits with five strikeouts. Mercurius is OU's sixth Diamondback selection in program history and first since 2017.
An All-America selection at catcher by Perfect Game and designated hitter by D1 Baseball, Lachance came on strong the second half of his one year in Norman. The Sherbrooke, Quebec, product hit all 18 of his home runs across the last 33 games of the season, leading the nation in that stretch. Lachance paced OU in hits (81), home runs (18), RBI (69), total bases (151), slugging percentage (.609), multi-hit games (25) and multi-RBI contests (17). His 18 home runs ranked tied for eighth for a single season in program history and 69 RBIs on the year ranked tied for 13th in program history. Throughout the NCAA Tournament, Lachance tied for a team-high in home runs with six and RBIs with 18 while batting .300 for 18 hits. He is the 13th Sooner all-time drafted by Cleveland and first since 2009.
OU's everyday starter at third base, Johnson started 62 games for the Sooners after transferring in from Wichita State. The junior hit .298 with 73 hits, 11 doubles, three triples and nine home runs in 2026, leading the team with 63 runs scored and 31 stolen bases. His 31 stolen bags ranked tied for 12th for a single season in program history. Johnson recorded 23 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games this season. In the NCAA Tournament, the Boerne, Texas, product led OU with five steals and 10 walks. Johnson is the eighth OU product taken by the Kansas City Royals in the draft.
A 6'7" right-handed pitcher that appeared in 17 games in relief for the Sooners, Bixby accumulated a 2-0 record throughout 16.2 innings pitched. The TCU transfer struck out 24 batters on the year, allowing opponents to bat .250 against the righty. Bixby made a pair of postseason appearances, allowing no hits or runs across two innings with three strikeouts. He became the sixth Sooner taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in school history.
Cam Johnson made 24 appearances and 21 starts across his two seasons in Norman, finishing with a 4.60 ERA, 8-1 record and 96 strikeouts. In 2026, the lefty started 15 games and was second on the team with six wins with a record of 6-1, throwing 53.2 innings with 72 strikeouts. The Upper Marlboro, Md., product held opposing hitters to a .205 batting average and had six starts with seven or more strikeouts on the season, going 5.0 innings or longer in eight of his 15 starts. Johnson struck out seven or more in each of his first four starts of the season. He is the 17th Sooner all-time drafted by the White Sox.
A lefty reliever that appeared in 19 games, Smithburg held a 3.79 ERA and 2-0 record through 19.0 innings pitched in 2026. The Libertyville, Iowa, product had 18 strikeouts to just five walks. In three postseason appearances, Smithburg fanned three batters across five innings, including a career-long outing of 3.2 innings with two strikeouts in the Lawrence Super Regional to help OU clinch its spot in the College World Series. After fellow teammate, Bixby, became the sixth Sooner taken by the Rays in program history, Smithburg became the seventh headed to Tampa Bay.
For updates and more information on Oklahoma baseball, follow the Sooners on X and Instagram (@OU_Baseball) and like Oklahoma Baseball on Facebook.
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