SHAWNEE – The Toronto Blue Jay and Texas Rangers announced their active rosters for Opening Day with former Bison pitchers Taylor Hearn and Julian Merryweather earning spots on their big league squads.
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Hearn closed out the 2020 season with an ERA of 3.63, fourth-best amongst Rangers relievers with at least 10 inning pitched. His 23 strikeouts and 13 hits allowed were both the third-best marks from the bullpen. His opponent batting average of .206 was good for sixth-best on the Texas pitching staff. He also was credited with his first win of his major career when the Rangers beat the Houston Astros on Sunday, Sept. 27.
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Merryweather posted an ERA of 4.15 in the 2020 season. He pitched a total of 13 innings and struck out 15 batters.
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In his lone season on Bison Hill, Hearn compiled a perfect 9-0 record with an ERA of 3.50. He struck out 71 batters in 64.1 innings pitched and held opposing batters to a .191 average as the Bison advanced all the way to the NAIA World Series. Hearn was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.
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Merryweather had an outstanding career at OBU with a 22-5 record over two seasons. The All-American had a career ERA of just 1.73 in 182 innings pitched after tying the second-lowest ERA in program history with 1.07 in 2014. He registered 208 strikeouts with the Bison. He was drafted by Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
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