By John Shinn
Oklahoma pitcher Garrett Richards didn’t have to wait very long to find out where his professional career would begin. Tuesday, Richards became the third Sooner player drafted in the first round in the last six years when he selected 42nd overall by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2009 MLB Draft.
Richards became the 17th Sooner to be selected in the first round since 1967. The right-hander is the first Sooner taken in this year’s draft and the third player selected from the Big 12 Conference. He joins former Sooners Jackson Williams (43rd overall in 2007) and David Purcey (16th overall in 2004) as the most recent OU first round selections.
Richards recorded 11 victories, including nine in 2009, and saved nine games in his three years on the mound at OU. The hard-throwing hurler struck out 127 batters in 1252⁄3 career innings.
This past season, the Edmond native led OU with nine wins and 85 strikeouts. In his 17 appearances, including 15 starts, Richards limited the opposition to a .268 batting average.
He saved his best performance of 2009 for the postseason as he eliminated Washington State in the 2009 NCAA Norman Regional with his first complete-game victory. Richards struck out 10 batters across a career-high nine innings and held the Cougars to two runs off five hits and a walk. The performance launched OU into the regional final and earned Richards a spot on the Norman Regional All-Tournament team.
The draft ended Tuesday after three rounds. Today’s selections begin at 11 a.m. with rounds four through 30. The draft continues Thursday with rounds 31-50 starting at 10:30 a.m.
