NORMAN – Redshirt freshman proper-hander Cade Horton become decided on 7th universal via way of means of the Chicago Cubs, and 3 Sooners have been picked Sunday night time on the primary day of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, held in Los Angeles.
Redshirt sophomore left-exceeded pitcher Jake Bennett become decided on withinside the 2nd spherical (forty-fifth universal) via way of means of the Washington Nationals and redshirt sophomore shortstop Peyton Graham become taken withinside the 2nd spherical (51st universal) via way of means of the Detroit Tigers.
This is the primary time the Sooners have ever had 3 gamers decided on withinside the first rounds of the MLB Draft. OU has now produced 3 first-spherical draft choices in 5 years below head instruct Skip Johnson: Horton, Cade Cavalli (twenty-second universal select out via way of means of the Nationals in 2020), and Kyler Murray (9th universal select out via way of means of the Oakland Athletics in 2018).
Horton is OU's maximum draft select considering that pitcher Jon Gray went 0.33 universal to the Colorado Rockies in 2013. He is Oklahoma's eleventh first-spherical select out withinside the ordinary June draft and OU's twenty-first first-spherical choice universal, which includes secondary drafts and supplemental spherical choices. Bennett is the best left-exceeded pitcher drafted from Oklahoma considering that David Purcey went sixteenth universal in 2004.
A Norman, Okla., product, Horton earned Freshman All-America honors from Baseball America and D1Baseball. He went 5-2 with a four.86 ERA in 14 pitching appearances and eleven begins offevolved at the mound. He registered sixty-four strikeouts and the simplest 15 walks over 53.2 innings. He made 25 begins offevolved at 0.33 base, 4 at shortstop, and eleven as a chosen hitter, batting .234 with six doubles, triples, a domestic run, 17 RBIs, and 28 runs scored in a hundred forty-five at-bats. He becomes additionally eight for nine in stolen bases. In 5 postseason begins offevolved, starting with the Big 12 Championship recreation win over Texas, Horton went 3-zero with a 2. sixty one ERA and notched forty-nine strikeouts in opposition to six walks in 31. zero innings, in no way permitting extra than runs or walks in a day trip.
The proper-hander become at his great withinside the College World Series. In begins offevolved in opposition to Notre Dame and Ole Miss, Horton pitched thirteen.1 inning, hanging out 24 batters, and permitting 4 runs on 9 hits and one walk. His great overall performance become withinside the MCWS Finals wherein he registered professional highs of thirteen strikeouts and 7.1 innings. In the NCAA Tournament (which additionally blanketed begins offevolved at Florida and Virginia Tech), Horton allowed a .186 batting common and struck out forty batters over 25.2 innings, posting a 2. eighty ERA.
"I'm top-notch excited for Cade," Johnson stated. "He placed the paintings in coming off Tommy John. Our trainer (Luke spitz) and electricity instructor (Tim Overman) did an incredible activity of having his lower back. His painting ethic speaks for itself. How many human beings come lower back as he did in 15 months, and do what he did? It's quite amazing. I'm top-notch excited for him. I suppose it is a testimony to our improvement application at the University of Oklahoma. (The Cubs are getting) a front-quit starter. He's going to be more than a few one, range, or 3 starters withinside the massive leagues. I suppose he can do that. His intellectual capacity, his transport, his swing, and his omit are incredible. He pitches together along with his head and his heart, and his athletic ability. I suppose that is what units him apart. His mindset in what he does. He is going out each day and proves that. He works, and he is humble. He does not have many swaggers, he simply is going out and takes a workman's mentality to what he does."
A Bixby, Okla., product, Bennett become additionally decided on via way of means of the Nationals withinside the thirty-ninth spherical of the 2019 MLB Draft. He may be reunited with OU and Bixby High School teammate Cavalli withinside the Nationals organization. He obtained 2nd-group All-America popularity from Baseball America and D1Baseball and 0.33-group honors from Perfect Game and additionally earned first-group All-Big 12 honors.
As the Sooners' Friday night-time starter all season, Bennett published a 10-four report and 3. sixty-nine ERA in 19 begins offevolved, struck out 133 batters, and walked simplest 22 in 117. zero innings. He went as a minimum 6. zero innings in thirteen begins offevolved and allowed 3 or fewer runs in eleven begins offevolved. He become successful in six instantly begins offevolved from May thirteen thru June 17 and earned his first profession keep in OU's nearby very last win over Florida. He struck out 10 batters over 6.1 innings withinside the College World Series finals vs. Ole Miss and went 7. zero innings, hanging out 8, and permitting one earned run withinside the Super Regional opener at Virginia Tech.
"They're going to get an expert kind of youngster that is aware what workouts are, is aware what pitchability is, is aware the paintings that it takes to position in," Johnson stated of Bennett. "He's just like the poster infant of our application. Came in as a freshman – frame changed, transport changed, make-up changed, command – the whole thing you may think about from a pitcher, he did properly in it. He's going to be an innings eater in a seasoned ball. He published up each time, each day trip all 12 months long. I suppose there have been perhaps one or man all 12 months that did that during the 12 months. That proper there tells you he is going to consume innings."
A Waxahachie, Texas, product, Graham become named a first-group All-American via way of means of Baseball America, D1Baseball, and the NCBWA, a 2nd-group All-American via way of means of the ABCA, and a 0.33-group All-American via way of means of Collegiate Baseball. Also the NCBWA District 6 Co-Player of the Year, he becomes a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation's pinnacle shortstop and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award in addition to a first-group All-Big 12 choice. He become named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Big 12 Championship and decided on to the Gainesville Regional and College World Series All-Tournament teams.
Graham led Oklahoma with 20 domestic runs, 4 triples, seventy-one RBIs, seventy-five runs scored, and 34 stolen bases, and batted .333. He additionally registered 17 doubles, 29 multiple-hit video games, and a group-great 21 multiple-RBI contests. He has become the primary participant in OU records to sign in as a minimum of 20 domestic runs and as a minimum of 30 stolen bases in a season. He hit 3 grand slams throughout the 2022 season. He completed the season with six video games with 4-plus RBIs and 8 video games with 3 or 4 hits.
"He's were given dynamic athleticism," Johnson stated. "There's not anything that he can not do on a baseball field. He can run, he can throw, he can hit. He's were given power, he is were given instincts to play the recreation, instincts to run the bases. He's given each device that you may imagine. For him, the ceiling is incredible. (The Tigers are getting) an all-star. A celeb truly is going to play for an extended time. He likes to compete. He wins each aggressive issue we do at the field, whether or not it is outfield, pop-ups, bunting – he is going to win they all due to the fact he is so aggressive."
Oklahoma become certainly considered one of the simplest 5 colleges to have 3 gamers decide on withinside the first rounds (which includes aggressive stability rounds) of the draft. Arkansas, Florida, Oregon State, and Tennessee additionally had 3 gamers drafted Sunday night time. OU and Tennessee have been the simplest packages with all 3 gamers taken withinside the first fifty-five choices.
An overall of 287 Sooners had been decided on withinside the MLB Draft, which includes 21 first-rounders. At least one participant has been drafted every 12 months considering that 1970, and OU has had as a minimum one participant picked withinside the pinnacle 10 rounds each 12 months considering 2011.
The MLB Draft keeps with rounds 3-10 starting at 1 p.m. CT on Monday. Rounds eleven-20 may be hung on Tuesday.
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