OKLAHOMA CITY – Bob Mitchell was fidgeting with the orange Hacky Sack ball in his right hand when he was sitting inside the locker room last weekend inside Fiserv Forum.

Mitchell got the ball earlier this year when he was walking around a Walmart in Reno, Nevada, at the season-opening Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour opener. Mitchell, Cole Skender, Patterson Starcher and Jason Landing decided to it would be a good thing to play around with before the bull riding.

“It kind of gets you stretched out and its just something fun to do,” Mitchell said.

The Hacky Sack ball has followed Mitchell to the Unleash The Beast since he made his season-debut in Sacramento and has since surged to the No. 1 ranking in the Rookie of the Year race.

Whenever Mitchell may get a little anxious or nervous before an event, you can find him squeezing the ball like a stress ball.

“I do a lot with it,” Mitchell said with a laugh. “It helps keep me calm if I ever feel like I need it.”

The first-time jitters are starting to dissipate for Mitchell. The 19-year-old is ranked 14^th in the world standings and is 5-for-9 (55.55%) on the premier series.

Mitchell heads into Round 2 of the PBR Express Ranches Invitational, presented by Union Home Mortgage, sitting in seventh place following his 85.5-point ride on Pickle Moonshine.

The Steelville, Missouri, native has drawn Cold Chill (10-5, UTB) for Round 2 at the Paycom Center (Sunday 8 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network).

“It is getting a little better,” Mitchell said. “There is still a bunch of nerves and a lot of bright lights. It is getting a lot better then the first few events, especially Sacramento, was a lot of pressure. Now it is feeling fine, and this is where I am supposed to be. I am settling in.”

Mitchell leads No. 2 rookie Sam Woodall by 71.5 points. No. 3 rookie Dawson Branton is 78 points behind Mitchell.

Branton is in ninth place in Oklahoma City with his 54.25 points on Little Bit Crazy. The 20-year-old bruised his right knee when Little Bit Crazy ran Branton into the chute, but Branton is probable for Saturday night, per Dr. Tandy Freeman.

Branton will take on Black & Blue (0-0) in Round 2.

Mitchell was stunned when he learned in Milwaukee that he was the leading Rookie of the Year contender.

“I did not know that,” a wide-eyed Mitchell said. “Well that is kind of exciting. We got a longways to go, but if I keep doing what I am supposed to be doing I can make it work. It has been a thought. I have always wanted to win Rookie of the Year. That is a big thing. You can only do that once. You only get one shot for it and to actually be in the running for it is pretty cool.

“I guess we have to keep making it count.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media