Littell emerging as catalyst

Oklahoma State outfielder Jon Littell enters Wednesday’s nonconference game at Wichita State carrying an eight-game hitting streak.

STILLWATER — Jon Littell sat on the bench of Oklahoma State’s thirdbase dugout in Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, slightly hunched and hands clasped.

With the Cowboys fresh off a sweep of TCU in which Littell’s bat did everything but send a ball over the fence, a reporter asked whether the sweep came as a surprise.

“We expect to win every game,” Littell replied. “That’s what this program’s all about. Every time you go out there, you want to win. You expect to win.”

Similarly, OSU coach Josh Holliday has come to expect results from Littell, a senior outfielder from Stillwater, because of the work ethic he has put forth.

Littell enters Wednesday’s nonconference contest at Wichita State carrying an eight-game hitting streak and having earned Big 12 Player of the Week and National College Baseball Writers Association National Hitter of the Week honors.

Last week, Littell helped OSU go 4-0, the sweep of the Horned Frogs following a nonconference Bedlam victory,

with nine hits in 15 at bats.

In the TCU series, Littell hit .727 with three doubles, two triples, four RBI, four walks and nine runs scored.

The performances raised Littell’s season average 61 points to .283.

“Jon Littell, right now, best I’ve ever seen him,” Holliday said. “... He was the catalyst of our offense the whole weekend. I think if you were to ask the TCU coaches their impressions, they would’ve said that was a different player than they’ve ever seen.

“Work ethic, he’s a rock. Academically, he’s a rock. Personally, socially, he’s a rock. That guy does the right thing every single day. That’s what you want in your locker room. You want that person in your locker room every day.”

Although the Cowboys’ locker room had the same Littell last season, their lineup did not.

In the finale of OSU’s Big 12-opening series against the Horned Frogs, Littell suffered cheek and shoulder injuries in an outfield collision.

While the cheek healed, the shoulder pestered Littell until offseason surgery.

Hitting .308 at the time of the injury, he hit .221 afterward.

This season, he left the TCU series in a much better position.

“Obviously, you don’t ever want to get banged up,” he said. “Just gotta do what you gotta do to be out there every day you can. Fortunately, just swung it well and saw it big. That’s how it goes at times.”

Holliday won’t fully agree.

He said Littell has earned this success.

“When you get hurt in the opening weekend of conference play like he did a year ago and basically played the remainder of the year with one shoulder, that’s tough,” Holliday said. “You don’t ever want to see your kids try to play when they’re not 100 percent. He comes back for his senior year, he flips the narrative, ‘I’m gonna have the best senior year that I can possibly have,’ he embraces being here, he takes on a leadership role, and that’s just a sign of maturity.

“There’s no guarantees that’s gonna happen in baseball, but it’s most likely to if you handle yourself the way he’s handled himself.”