Former Faith Lutheran and UNLV pitcher LJ Mercurius was a starter for astir of the Oklahoma baseball’s season.
But arsenic the Sooners looked to find their groove during a unsmooth patch, manager Skip Johnson decided to determination the 6-foot-2-inch right-hander to the bullpen.
The Las Vegas autochthonal took the alteration well.
“I don’t attraction if I’m starting oregon successful the bullpen. I privation to win. When (Johnson) said helium things I could bash amended successful the bullpen for america to win, I was connected board,” Mercurius said successful an interrogation with SEC Network.
Oklahoma is connected the verge of a College World Series rubric acknowledgment to the beardown pitching of LJ Mercurius and younger member Xander, a existent freshman.
The brothers person starred connected the mound to assistance Oklahoma participate the College World Series last against North Carolina. The best-of-three bid begins astatine 5 p.m. Saturday astatine Charles Schwab Field successful Omaha (ESPN).
Xander, a Durango graduate, has started connected the mound during Oklahoma’s 9-2 postseason tally and earned his archetypal assemblage triumph successful a seven-inning show during a 4-3 triumph implicit Georgia connected Monday successful the 2nd circular of the College World Series.
LJ, a junior, has earned 4 saves for Oklahoma during the postseason. He earned the prevention connected Wednesday, pitching 3⅓ innings of alleviation to assistance the Sooners bushed Georgia again 11-4 successful the semifinals and beforehand to the title series.
“I can’t convey them capable for staying with the process,” Johnson said successful a postgame property league aft Oklahoma’s triumph implicit Georgia connected Monday. “It’s casual for america to speech astir 1 transportation astatine a time. It’s truly hard to unrecorded due to the fact that the crippled wants you to instrumentality it distant from it.
“You got to get to the adjacent pitch, you can’t dwell connected that pitch. The bully ones tin bash that.”
LJ Mercurius leads Oklahoma with 96 strikeouts and has a 6-7 record, 4.74 ERA and 4 saves successful 20 appearances. Xander Mercurius has appeared successful 19 games, with 4 starts and is 4th with 56 strikeouts and 1-2 record.
‘Have fun’
LJ, aft graduating from Faith Lutheran successful 2023, spent 2 seasons astatine UNLV. He was a second-team All-Mountain West pitcher successful 2025 and past transferred to Oklahoma.
Xander, who led Durango to back-to-back 4A authorities titles successful 2024 and 2025 and besides played shot his elder twelvemonth with the Trailblazers, already was committed to the Sooners during the autumn of 2024.
LJ started successful the rotation for Oklahoma successful 2026, portion Xander was successful the bullpen. Oklahoma started 10-1 successful February, but entered the SEC tourney 33-20 and was eliminated from the league tourney aft an opening-round nonaccomplishment to LSU.
Since then, Oklahoma has mislaid once, during the Atlanta determination to Georgia Tech. The Sooners came retired of the losers bracket to bushed the Yellow Jackets doubly and past bushed Kansas doubly successful the ace determination to get to the College World Series.
LJ Mercurius picked up 3 saves during the stretch. The older Mercurius said the team’s assurance hasn’t wavered from the mediate of the play to now.
“It doesn’t consciousness overmuch different,” LJ Mercurius said successful an SEC Network interrogation aft Wednesday’s Georgia win. “The mindset’s ever been the aforesaid of we conscionable person to fight, we person to vie and person fun.
“We’re conscionable having amusive and we’re executing astatine a higher level that we were earlier this year. It’s been the aforesaid team, aforesaid mindset and it’s conscionable showing.”
‘Take it each in’
Xander Mercurius mislaid his archetypal 2 starts, which were to LSU and Georgia Tech. But the younger Mercurius held Georgia to 3 runs connected six hits with 9 strikeouts and earned the triumph Monday successful Omaha successful beforehand of his mom, dada and sister.
“All I person to bash is conscionable instrumentality it each in. It’s honestly surreal,” Xander Mercurius said successful a postgame TV interrogation with ESPN aft earning the triumph against Georgia connected Monday. “I got to bash it successful beforehand of each these people. I’m conscionable truthful blessed that my squad was capable to bash it, propulsion it off. … It means the world.
“They raised large kids, I can’t hide astir my sister too, but I’m conscionable blessed they’re capable to travel retired present and ticker maine play and ticker by member play.”
Contact Alex Wright astatine awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 connected X.
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