OU Baseball: Players To Watch in 2024

By Brandon Schultz

There are plenty of players to talk about heading into the 2024 season. Some names we are familiar with and some names are new on campus. There will be stars that show up throughout the year, but the guys below are who I am watching to start the year.

First, we start with two parts of the three-headed freshman monster that took us to Omaha. Jackson Nicklaus and John Spikerman. These two are extremely important for the 2024 season. Both had massive years in 2022, with J-Nick finishing second on the team in homers and Spike finishing third on the team in average. It’s not a stretch to say that we couldn’t have made that run without them. Like almost all players with freshman success their sophomore year carried challenges. As most people are aware, as a freshman, opposing teams aren’t studying you closely and there is not enough data to know your weaknesses. In 2023, with their amazing freshman years, teams had the book on them. Though both players added value, it was not the season either had hoped. All in all, these two are now in their draft eligible junior year and looking to put up big numbers. Spike has been on national radars for years as one of the most dynamic players in the game with his speed. Jackson has added weight each year and looks to be a major power threat in 2024.

Jaxon Willits is the only freshman on this list, and with good reason. Willits is the son of current assistant coach Reggie Willits (a former OU great). Jax was a real draft threat last year and likely should have been taken, but I believe the sign-ability was a problem as everyone knew he wanted to play for Dad. Don’t let the coach’s kid ideas fool you. He is a dude. I was able to watch him a little bit this fall, and he doesn’t look like a freshman. He looks closer to 6’1 than 5’11. Not sure if the power has developed yet, but the hit tool is there and so is the athleticism. OU has become known for Freshman making impacts so I look forward to seeing what he can do this year as he has the nod to start at SS.

Not saying I saved the best for last here, I love all our guys, but Carter Fredrick is a name everyone needs to know. He really, just to sum it up, hates baseballs and thus hits them very hard. He is a true power bat with the size of a true power bat. Standing in at 6’4 230 he could also be playing tight end for the football team. He hit some of the hardest balls I’ve ever seen at L Dale this fall and might be the star that gets OU’s name on the national radar quickly. He hit .463 with 14 bombs at Snead State last year and I can promise he didn’t lose any power since the 2024 season.

Next let’s move to the mound where I want to start with another duo, the Witherspoon twins. These guys have already shown success as freshman at Northwest Florida State College. They are also a great follow on Twitter/X as they tend to post video of their pins. Kyson certainly looks the most D1 ready of the two. He was spinning it up to 96 during the fall and you can usually add 2 MPH to that number in mid-late spring. He pitched to a 3.10 ERA in 2023 striking out 72 which is a little over 1 per inning. Malachi was drafted in the 12th round of the 2022 draft but decided to go to school. It will be fun to see how he develops because the scouts certainly saw something they liked.

I think Braden Davis is the most exciting development from the fall. Not to say he came in with 0 hype (He has a career 2.47 ERA as a D1 pitcher) but he certainly wasn’t expected to be the Friday night starter. For those that don’t know, in college baseball your Friday night starter is the ace. He sets the tone for the weekend. Braden jumped the ranks and gets the nod as the Sooners Friday night guy. I don’t have a lot of feel for his pitching style yet, so I am excited to see how he navigates lineups.

The brother Crooks (Dylan Crooks) finishes off the list. If Skip Johnson can come on our podcast and drop a David Allen Coe reference, then allow me to drop a Hank Williams Jr reference… OU baseball is a family tradition. Dylan is the little bro of Sooner legend Jimmy Crooks. He has the absolute gamer mentality for which the Crooks family should be known. He showed a lot of promise in the fall and spring. I got to see him throw an inning this fall, and he looks very polished with multiple ways to get you out. Dylan is just one in a long line of family lineage heading to Norman over the next couple of years and I am pumped to watch his success.