Oklahoma's freshmen pitching trio gives the Sooners a chance to make history (again)

That freshman pitching rotation the Oklahoma Sooners just used to win a national championship? Yeah, all three will be back in 2027 as the Sooners defend their title and have more hope than ever to repeat.

The Sooners announced on Monday via the OU baseball account on X that freshmen Cord Rager, Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski will all be back next season. The trio accounted for every start during the Sooners' unbelievable run through the Men's College World Series in Omaha that ended with Oklahoma hoisting the trophy for the third time in program history. It was the first time ever a team relied on three freshmen starting pitchers in the MCWS championship series.

OU fans can start thinking title repeat with the return of Cord Rager, Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski

This is news that's almost as unprecedented as the Sooners' title run during this era of college sports. Every roster for every sport is decimated over the offseason nowadays between graduation, drafts and obviously the transfer portal. For baseball, athletes can't enter the MLB Draft until after three years of college, or they're 21 years old, so these three weren't eligible.

Having a roster raided is especially the case after a team wins a national title, and everyone wants a piece of that winning formula. Even though none of the three starting pitchers actually entered the portal, you can bet there were still monstrous offers on the table to lure them away from Oklahoma for more money.

The fact not even one was drawn away is actually astounding. Credit Skip Johnson and his staff for keeping the talent in Norman, but also to the young players for running it back instead of following the money. The Sooners so far have actually kept all of their returning starters not lost to graduation or draft-eligible as the portal closes on Tuesday.

Now, Johnson already knows his weekend rotation nearly a year in advance. This past season, he didn't have starters solidified until the NCAA Tournament, which helped propel a national title run that included a nine-game winning streak. The Sooners' accomplishment wouldn't have been as surprising, though, if their pitching had been that solid all season instead of incredibly inconsistent.

Read more: Skip Johnson's emotional message should inspire every Oklahoma fan in 2027

Rager, a lefty, asserted himself as the ace of the trio while starting four games during the NCAA Tournament, including OU's opening game of the MCWS and Game 1 of the championship series. He boasted a 2.25 ERA in four postseason starts. That included back-to-back shutout outings against Kansas in Super Regionals and Alabama in the MCWS. The Sooners were undefeated in postseason games that Rager started.

Mercurius made a late move from the bullpen to essentially replace his older brother, LJ, in the rotation. He can touch 99 miles per hour on the radar gun but pulled back and mixed in his change-up beautifully to find success as a starter.

A former two-way player, Wesloski started focusing on pitching right before the season started and was also a late addition to the rotation, with his first start not coming until the Atlanta Regional against The Citadel. Between three postseason starts, he posted a 3.00 ERA in 15.0 innings. He was the starter when the Sooners claimed the national title with a Game 3 win over North Carolina, as he gave up just one run in 2.1 innings.

These three pitchers were five of the players I listed that Johnson needed to return, and they were priority 1A, 1B, and 1C. Now that the pitching has already proven it's capable, it's really not crazy for OU fans to start dreaming of back-to-back national titles for the Sooners.

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