Oklahoma Sooners fans might only be realizing it now, but right-handed pitcher LJ Mercurius knew all along how good they were all season.
The Sooners have set a date against the North Carolina Tar Heels Baseball in the 2026 Men’s College World Series Finals after winning 11-4 against Georgia. They have won eight consecutive games since the Super Regionals and have outscored opponents by 45 runs.
Ahead of the championship game, LJ and Xander Mercurius talked about how proud they were of their program. LJ, a junior from Las Vegas, Nevada, doesn’t like it when someone tries to undermine their efforts, as he said:
“I’ve actually been finding it a little disrespectful because they’re saying we’re not good, we’re just hot. And I think that’s so far from the truth. I think we have, I don’t know, 34 of the best players in the country. We’ve been good all year, we’ve known it, we’ve shown it before, so this isn’t our first time doing this. So I think it’s a little disrespectful to say we’re hot but not good, but we’re good.”
The Sooners now face North Carolina, which reached the championship game after eliminating West Virginia and going unbeaten through its bracket.
LJ Mercurius Proving to Be Postseason Gem For Oklahoma
After transferring from UCLA, LJ Mercurius is proving a ace for Oklahoma this postseason. In three appearances, he has pitched to a team-low 0.90 ERA through 10 innings. He has just surrendered one run while striking out 10 batters.
While Mercurius was largely underwhelming in the regular season, posting a 6-7 record and 4.97 ERA, his postseason performance paints an encouraging story. He led the team with 92 strikeouts in 70.2 innings, holding opponents to a .245 batting average this season.
The 2025 All-Mountain West honoree had a remarkable debut by striking out 12 batters in his Oklahoma debut against Oklahoma State.
“He has been growing up and maturing,” head coach Skip Johnson told WBN in February. “He wanted to get somewhere comfortable and needed a change. His best days are ahead of him.”
Moreover, LJ’s younger brother, Xander Mercurius, delivered a standout performance against Georgia in the College World Series. The right-hander pitched 7.1 innings for six hits, three runs, two walks and a career-high nine strikeouts.
The Mercurius brothers and Oklahoma now stand one win away from winning the College World Series.
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