The 2026 MLB Draft opened festivities on Saturday with a little bit of a change of format opposed to the previous few years. The first 4 rounds were held Saturday afternoon with the remaining rounds of 5 through 20 scheduled for Sunday.
A total of 19 players with ties to the Sooner State heard their names called on Sunday bringing the 2 day total to 22 for the good guys.
As usual, there were some complete surprises – both good and bad.
Let’s take a look at the happenings on Sunday.
Jaxon Willits (Ft Cobb-Broxton/OU); 5th Round (141 overall): Los Angeles Angels
Jaxon Willits was the first name off the board on Sunday as he was picked by the Angels early in the 5th round.
Willits saw his stock rise after a great postseason showing including a College World Series MVP where he showed his consistency at the plate leading the Sooners to a national championship.
Like Ethan Holliday last year, Willits was drafted to the team that his dad played for with Reggie Willits playing 6 years for the Angels.
LJ Mercurius (Univ of Oklahoma); 5th Round (148 overall): Arizona Diamondbacks
Picked only 7 spots after Willits, LJ Mercurius heard his name called by the Diamondbacks.
After starting the season as one of the best pitchers in the country, Mercurius had some struggles once he got into SEC play. However, after a move to the bullpen, LJ became the best arm out of the pen as the Sooners went on their championship run.
Declan Dahl (Seminole State); 5th Round (158 overall): Detroit Tigers
Dahl was unfortunately overlooked by SSBR, Dahl was ranked the 228th draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and was picked higher than that by the Tigers.
After 2 stellar seasons at Seminole State, Dahl transferred to Louisian Tech where he was Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year.
MLB Pipeline’s write up on Dahl before the draft:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40
After compiling a 3.36 ERA in two seasons as a starter at Seminole State (Okla.) JC, Dahl transferred to Louisiana Tech. Conference USA’s 2026 newcomer of the year, he posted the best ERA (2.11) and strikeout total (73) in C-USA play this spring. His polish and metrics stand out more than stuff, and he intrigues clubs confident in their ability to help pitchers add power.
Dahl did pick up 2 mph on his fastball this spring, working at 91-93 mph, topping out at 95 and succeeding with fringy velocity thanks to an unusually low release height and flat approach angle. His low-80s changeup sinks under barrels, though he can struggle to land it for strikes. His tight low-80s slider is less effective and gets drilled when he leaves it over the plate.
Dahl’s low arm slot creates plenty of deception that leads hitters to chase all of his pitches off the plate. He doesn’t land any of his offerings in the zone on a regular basis, yet they all generate plenty of strikes. He’ll be a fun development project for whichever team drafts him.
Deiten Lachance (Univ of Oklahoma); 6th Round (184 overall): Cleveland Indians
Perhaps the most beloved Sooner on this year’s team, “Big Maple” was the 4th Sooner to hear his name this year.
After a monster 2nd half of the college season, Lachance was ranked 108 going into the draft so it is a little surprising he fell to this spot.
Lachance will join OSU’s Nolan Schubart in the Guardians system as 2 top level sluggers.
Hudson Barrett (Oklahoma State); 8th Round (224 overall); Colorado Rockies
After not hearing an Oklahoman go in the 7th round, Hudson Barrett heard his name called first in the 8th round.
Nic Tolbert (Oktaha High School); 9th Round (265 overall): Miami Marlins
The first huge surprise of the day, Class of 2026 stud Nic Tolbert was taken in the 9th round by the Marlins.
Tolbert was the best player in Class 2A this past year and arguably the entire state regardless of classification. He set numerous records in high school throughout his career at Oktaha.
A Wichita State signee, Tolbert had private work outs for a few teams leading up to the draft.
Camden Johnson (Univ of Oklahoma); 9th Round (269 overall): Kansas City Royals
Camden Johnson was the 2nd Oklahoman that heard his name in the 9th round being picked by the Royals.
Regarded as the most athletic of the eligible Sooners, Johnson had a 116 ranking heading into the draft so he did fall a few rounds down than expected.
Johnson played 3B at OU with Willits at SS, but he is a SS by trade and that is what the Royals drafted him as.
Mario Pesca (Oklahoma State); 9th Round (273 overall); Cleveland Guardians
Mario Pesca wasn’t on any lists/rankings heading into the draft, but Cleveland called his name in the 9th round.
Pesca will join former Pokes teammates Nolan Schubart and Harrison Bodendorf in the Guardians organization.
Jordan Hawkins (Carl Albert High School); 11th Round (327 overall): Texas Rangers
Hawkins became the 2nd Class of 2026 Oklahoma high school player taken when the Rangers drafted him in the 11th round.
Hawkins was not on any rankings/lists so this was a nice surprise to see him taken this high in the draft.
Josiah Kemp (Choctaw High School); 12th Round (358 overall): San Francisco Giants
Kemp became the 3rd and final Oklahoma high school Class of 2026 player taken when the Giants took him in the 12th round.
The University of Oklahoma signee was the Oklahoma Class 6A Player of the Year in 2026 and is the nephew of former MLB All Star and Midwest City Bomber alum, Matt Kemp.
Colin Fisher (Noble High School); 13th Round (388 overall): San Francisco Giants
San Francisco made it 2 OK Prep stars in back to back rounds when they picked Colin Fisher in the 13th round.
Fisher is a Class of ’23 grad from Noble High School who spent the last 3 seasons at the University of Arkansas.
Brady Hamilton (Deer Creek High School); 14th Round (412 overall): Atlanta Braves
Hamilton was the #2 ranked pitcher in the Class of 2023 coming out of Oklahoma before heading to Wichita State. In his freshman season in Wichita, Hamilton made his way to weekend starter where he was for 3 seasons. He had 67 Ks vs 27 BB in 74 IP in 2026.
Mason Bixby (University of Oklahoma); 14th Round (413 overall): Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay took the first of two Sooner pitchers in this draft when they selected Mason Bixby in the 14th round.
Due to injuries, Bixby saw limited action in 2026, but when he did see action, his stuff was some of the best on the Sooners’ staff.
Brannon Westmoreland (Haskell High School/Connors State); 14th Round (416 overall): Arizona Diamondbacks
Westmoreland was 3rd pitcher from Oklahoma taken in the 14th round when the Diamondbacks selected him.
A Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, Westmoreland has served as the ace of the Little Rock pitching staff in 2026. He is 6-2 and owns a team-leading 3.12 ERA over 98.0 innings, striking out 81 batters while limiting opponents to a .259 batting average. Westmoreland recorded three scoreless starts, including a complete-game shutout at Lindenwood, and reached double figures in strikeouts against Morehead State. He was instrumental in Little Rock’s run to a second consecutive OVC Tournament championship and helped lead the Trojans to the program’s first Super Regional appearance.
Cameron Johnson (University of Oklahoma); 15th Round (435 overall): Chicago White Sox
One of the most intriguing prospects in this draft was Cameron Johnson who the White Sox picked in the 15th round.
Johnson was the Sooners’ Friday starter to start the season after spending the previous season with the Sooners. His season started well, but control issues led to Johnson out of the rotation completely by the end of the season.
Johnson’s physical attributes were never in question, but because of the control issues, he fell to the 15th round in spite of his 250 ranking coming into the draft.
Avery Ortiz (Union High School/Oklahoma State); 18th Round (526 overall): Washington Nationals
Ortiz was the 4th Cowboy taken when the Nats took him in the 18th round.
Nate Smithburg (Univ of Oklahoma); 18th Round (533 overall); Tampa Bay Rays
Smithburg was the 2nd Sooner pitcher taken by the Ray as he will join his bullpen mate, Mason Bixby in Tampa Bay’s organization.
Kollin Ritchie (Atoka High School/Oklahoma State); 20th Round (594 overall): St Louis Cardinals
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the whole draft is Kollin Ritchie dropped all the way to the 20th round.
Coming in as the highest player ranked by MLB Pipeline with Oklahoma ties at 84, watching Ritchie not picked until the 20th round was shocking.
Ritchie was one of the national leaders in home runs this season.
A short while after being selected, Ritchie announced he will be returning to OSU (hello NIL!).
Cody Airington (Tupelo High School); 20th Round (597 overall): Texas Rangers
Tupelo (’23) grad, Cody Airington wrapped up the picks for the Sooner State when the Rangers selected him in the 20th round.
After graduating from Tupleo in 2023, Airington spent a season at Cowley CC before the last 2 at Austin Peay. Airington was the Governors’ team leader in starts and innings pitched this season.
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