Oklahoma Sooners P Jake Bennett selected No. 45 overall by the Washington Nationals
After Cade Horton went to the Chicago Cubs with the No. 7 overall pick, the Oklahoma Sooners No. 1 starter in the rotation Jake Bennett also came off the board in the second round with the No. 45 pick to the Washington Nationals.
Bennett, like Horton, had a great postseason, helping the Sooners advance through the College World Series to the final against Ole Miss.
Bennett went 10-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 20 starts, striking out 133 batters in 117 innings pitched in 2022.
“They’re going to get a professional type of kid that understands what routines are, understands what pitchability is, understands the work that it takes to put in,” head coach Skip Johnson said about Bennett. “He’s like the poster child of our program. Came in as a freshman – body changed, delivery changed, makeup changed, command – everything you can think of from a pitcher, he did well in it. He’s going to be an innings eater in pro ball. He posted up every time, every outing all year long. I think there were maybe one or two guys all year that did that throughout the year. Every week he posted up and pitched once a week. That right there tells you he’s going to eat innings. He’s very routine-oriented, a lot like – I’m not saying he’s ever going to be Clayton Kershaw at all – but there are some similarities between what Clayton does and what Jake does. He’s stuck in his routines and he’s going to make sure he does those things diligently. Making sure he does his arm exercises the right way, making sure he does his running, making sure he does his lifting. He’s going to be really on top of all of those little things as a professional.”
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