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    Austin Henry

    Oklahoma Baseball Receives Two Pieces of Good News on Thursday

    Shortly after landing transfer pitcher Austin Henry from Wichita State, the Sooners received word that another talented incoming pitcher was honored by his local newspaper.

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    Oklahoma Sooners
    Oklahoma Sooners
    Wichita State Shockers
    Wichita State Shockers

    Jacob Gholston, an OU baseball commit from Flower Mound High School, was named the Dallas Morning News Player of the Year on Thursday.

    One of the top pitching prospects in the nation, Gholston is listed at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds. The Jaguars star right-hander helped lead Flower Mound to the state title and a top 10 national ranking in 2023, earning THSBCA First Team All-State honors along the way. 

    According to Prep Baseball Report, Gholston can already hit 94 mph on his fastball, a number that has earned the 18-year-old an invitation to the MLB Draft Combine. Given his stature and talent level, there is a chance that the coveted pitcher will be drafted and forgo his time in college.

    It is likely, however, that Gholston will spend at least one season under Skip Johnson at OU, who has coached a number of successful pitchers. Most recently, Cade Horton saw his name called in the first round of the MLB Draft after a stellar postseason run with the Sooners in 2022.

    On that same note, Johnson and company received good news of their own earlier in the day as Wichita State transfer Austin Henry committed to Oklahoma. Henry redshirted during his lone season with the Shockers but was a Perfect Game All-American coming out of high school. 

    Listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, the right-hander from Dell Rapids, SD, reportedly throws a 92 mph fastball and was one of the top 20 pitchers in his high school recruiting class. 

    With the addition of two high-level pitchers like Gholston and Henry coming to the Sooners next season, Johnson has fortified his team's pitching unit after losing a slew of talented starters to the MLB draft following OU's run to the national championship in 2022. 

    Despite a down year in 2023, Oklahoma still managed to find its way into the Regional round of the NCAA Baseball tournament before being outed in three games. With the additions of Gholston and Henry, however, the Sooners will look poised to be one of a dangerous competitor in the Big 12 in 2024. 

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