Oklahoma freshman pitchers Xander Mercurius and Cord Rager have been invited to the 2026 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp, according to a May 14 announcement. The invitations were extended by USA Baseball, which selected 56 top non-draft-eligible collegiate players for the summer event.
The training camp will take place in North Carolina in late June. Mercurius and Rager will participate in exhibition games as part of the selection process for the final Collegiate National Team roster, which is expected to be finalized in early July.
Mercurius, a right-handed pitcher, has made an impact out of the bullpen for Oklahoma this season. He has recorded 27 strikeouts over 28.2 innings pitched with just 13 walks. He is tied for fourth among bullpen arms with 15 appearances and has pitched two or more innings in six outings, including two appearances of five or more innings. Mercurius achieved a career-best seven strikeouts against Alabama on April 2.
Rager, also a freshman and Oklahoma’s Sunday starter throughout the season, has posted a record of three wins and three losses with 61 strikeouts to 18 walks. He has thrown six or more strikeouts in six of his eleven starts and completed at least five innings in five games this season.
Following training camp and exhibition games, the final roster for the Collegiate National Team will be announced on July 5. The team will then compete at the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship from July 11-15 at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan.
Mercurius, Rager, and their teammates are scheduled to host Tennessee this weekend at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City for their regular season series finale.
