ARLINGTON -- Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter headlined the best rotation in college baseball at Vanderbilt in 2021. Four years later, they’ll round out the Rangers’ rotation on Opening Day.

President of baseball operations Chris Young announced on Tuesday that Rocker and Leiter will start the regular season with the big league club.

“I'm thrilled for both those guys,” Young said. “What I'm most excited for is watching them continue to improve and grow and help us try to win our division and a championship. That will be the definition of their success. It's not going to be just making the Opening Day club. It's what we do from here, moving forward. But they're ready for this level. They've shown flashes of it. They're great competitors, and they're only going to get better.”

The two were competing to make the Opening Day roster, either in the rotation or bullpen, all spring, but Texas lost both Cody Bradford (left elbow soreness) and Jon Gray (right wrist fracture) to injuries.

Rocker -- the Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft -- has had a winding road to the big leagues, including a detour into independent ball after his junior season at Vanderbilt in ‘21 and Tommy John surgery in ‘23.

He made his MLB debut on Sept. 12, 2024, and allowed six runs (five earned) in three starts over 11 2/3 big league innings.

Leiter -- the Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft -- was tasked with an aggressive assignment to Double-A Frisco in his first professional season in ‘22, and he struggled through two years in the Minors with an ERA north of 5.00. He then locked in to win Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2024 with a 3.51 ERA with Triple-A Round Rock.

Leiter's first taste of the big leagues wasn’t quite as smooth as Rocker’s, as he went 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in nine games (six starts) across four stints with the big league club.

Leiter came to camp with a reworked pitch arsenal -- adding a sinker and kick change -- and a renewed sense of spirit as he worked toward making the Opening Day roster.

“We think they're the best guys,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “They both got better as the spring went on. These are two guys that we think a lot of. They have great stuff, and we think they can help us win ballgames.”