6 Sooners selected on Day 2 of MLB Draft

NORMAN — Six Oklahoma baseball players were taken on the second day of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

Junior outfielder John Spikerman was the first OU player off the board, going in the third round with the 100th overall pick to the Philadelphia Phillies. Junior left-handed pitcher Braden Davis was selected in the fifth round with the 142nd pick to the St. Louis Cardinals and junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Lambert was drafted in the eighth round (233rd overall) to the New York Mets. Three Sooners went in the 10th round with senior outfielder Bryce Madron going 291st overall (St. Louis Cardinals), junior RHP Brendan Girton being selected 293rd (New York Mets) and senior infielder Michael Snyder chosen 304th (Miami Marlins).

It marks the second time in the last three years that at least six Sooners have been drafted (11 in 2022) with rounds 11 through 20 still slated to take place Tuesday. OU’s six players chosen in the first 10 rounds is second only to the seven selected in 2022 for the most through 10 rounds in program history.

Spikerman becomes the sixth Sooner to be selected in the first three rounds since 2020 and 17th OU draftee in program history to the Philadelphia Phillies. A speedster on the base paths and exceptional outfielder, Spikerman held a .313 career batting average in his three seasons as a Sooner, registering 48 extra-base hits with 80 runs batted in to go with 50 stolen bases and a .974 career fielding clip. As a junior in 2024, Spikerman hit .367 with 12 doubles, four triples and three home runs, batting in 32 runs.

Davis, an All-Big 12 First Team honoree in 2024 after transferring from Sam Houston, was exceptional in his Friday night starter role. He becomes the fifth Sooner to St. Louis in the last six MLB drafts. The Keller, Texas, product started 16 games and held a 4.30 earned-run average in 92 innings pitched with 117 strikeouts, ranking 17th in the country in the category. In Big 12 play, Davis went 7-1 with a 3.77 ERA, including a combined no-hitter and complete game shutout in the Big 12 tournament vs. Texas Christian University.

One of OU’s primary closers a season ago, Lambert became the first Sooner to be drafted to the Mets since 2015. In 23 relief appearances, Lambert held a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts and a 4-0 record with one save. The righty showed off his velocity in 2024 with a number of fastballs clocked over 100 mph. The Excelsior, Minn., native surrendered more than one hit in just two of his 23 outings as a Sooner.

Madron became the second Sooner to head to the Cardinals on the day with his fifth round selection to St. Louis, moving OU’s number of draft picks by the Cardinals to 20, the most by one organization in program history. Madron provided the power for OU in 2024, hitting a team-high 12 home runs to go with 19 doubles and three triples with a .318 batting average. The Blanchard product brought in 53 runs and drew a team-high 41 walks, holding a .439 on-base clip and .607 slugging percentage.

Girton brought OU’s number of Mets on the day to two with his 10th round selection to New York. The righty transfer from Texas Tech struck out 47 in 35.2 innings pitched in his one season in Norman in 2024, splitting time as a starter and reliever (10 games started in 16 appearances).

Snyder’s selection by the Miami Marlins with the 304th pick became the 10th Sooner to get drafted by the organization and first since 2017. An All-Big 12 First Team selection, Snyder was a force for OU in 2024, starting all 61 games in the infield while batting .354 with a team-high 26 doubles that ranked fifth in the country, to accompany 11 home runs and three triples.

With its six selections Monday, OU has 305 MLB Draft selections all-time with 38 under coach Skip Johnson, including 27 pitchers under Johnson.