A pair of brothers on the Oklahoma baseball team have made all the difference for the Sooners in their big-time College World Series run. Xander and LJ Mercurius delivered big pitching performances against the Georgia Bulldogs at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Here is a look at the pair of brothers from Las Vegas and their pitching performances.
Xander Mercurius goes over seven innings on Monday
Xander Mercurius went 7 1/3 innings in a 4-3 win over the Bulldogs on Monday, July 15. Over that stretch, the freshman had nine strikeouts while allowing just three runs and two walks. The game was the first win credited to Mercurius in his career.
It was a career-high in innings pitched and strikeouts for Mercurius, and it came at the right time. The win gave Oklahoma a 2-0 start in the College World Series and put them in the driver’s seat to advance to the national championship series.
This season, the younger Mercurius brother has a 5.51 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. He is a likely option to pitch in this weekend’s upcoming national championship series against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
LJ Mercurius puts together a great relief effort to send the Sooners to the national championship
On Wednesday, July 17, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Georgia again. This time, after an 11-4 victory, the Sooners got a great performance out of the older Mercurius brother, LJ Mercurius.
The junior and UNLV transfer came in and replaced Oklahoma’s starting pitcher, Nick Wesloski, in the sixth inning. He proceeded to close out the final 3 1/3 innings of the game.
Over that stretch, Mercurius had two strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. During the final three innings of the game, while Mercurius was pitching, Oklahoma outscored Georgia 6-1, leading to a more lopsided victory than the first meeting.
In 2026, Mercurius has a 4.74 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 76 innings of work. He’s made some starts for the Sooners this season and has also come out of the bullpen like he did on Wednesday. Mercurius has 20 total appearances and has made 12 starts.
His performance on Wednesday helped play a part in Oklahoma competing for a national championship in Omaha.
Up next for Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Sooners are facing off against the North Carolina Tar Heels for the 2026 national championship. If they win, it will be Oklahoma’s first national title since 1994.
Game one of the College World Series national championship is on Saturday, June 20, with the first pitch at 8 p.m. ET. The game is on ESPN.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTOS: AP | Vera Nieuwenhuis
