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PROVO — The BYU baseball team is off to a blistering start to its 2016 campaign. The Cougars are 10-1, which is the best start in school history. Impressively, the Y. has compiled that record without playing a single game in Provo.
The team has its home opener today against Utah Valley University. I caught up with fourth-year head coach Mike Littlewood and asked him about the team's hot start and what's in store for the rest of the season.
Dylan Cannon: To what do you attribute your team's hot start?
Mike Littlewood: I think we've got a good group of veteran guys: Eric Urry, Bronson Larsen, Hayden Nielsen, Tanner Chauncey. The list goes on and on. They bring a calming influence and a confidence level that enables the younger guys to just go out and play. We have Kyle Dean, a freshman who was really highly recruited, starting in right field. We have Jackson Cluff, another freshman, who is starting about half the games at third base. Then we have Brennon Anderson, a returned missionary. Those guys have been able to come in and relax. They're really good players, but they can relax and just play because of the older guys on the team. It creates a nice synergy.
DC: What are your team's goals this season?
ML: We want to make it to regionals. We want to win the West Coast Conference tournament and regular-season championships. Anything less than making regionals, this year, would be a disappointment.
DC: So, it sounds like you're very confident you guys can and will make it to regionals. Do you think your team has what it takes to make a run at the College World Series?
Who: BYU (10-1) vs. UVU (7-6)
When: Tuesday, March 8 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Miller Park, Provo
Broadcast: TheW.tv
ML: I think if you make it regionals, you never know what can happen. We've got to get (to regionals) first. We've got to work our way through it. When you make it to super regionals, you're basically playing against guys who are going to be top-round draft picks (in the Major League Baseball draft). So, we'll have to find ways to beat them. There's no doubt that offensively we have a team that can do that. If we can get enough pitching, we'll have a chance. DC: This is your fourth year as head coach at the Y. What have you learned in your first three campaigns that you are incorporating this season?
ML: I don't think it's anything we've necessarily learned. It's simply that we've recruited better players. It takes a little bit of time to do that. We know what kinds of players it's going to take to win at this level. We're working every day to go and get those kinds of players. It's all about recruiting. At BYU, it's a little bit different. You have to get high character guys — guys that are going to do what's needed off the field as well as on it. It takes a special kid to do really well on the field, as well as in the classroom and off the field.
DC: Speaking of recruiting, you mentioned freshman Kyle Dean. Dean was a high school All-American. How big of a pickup was that for your team and what does it mean for the program?
ML: It was huge for us. He was projected to be a first-rounder in the draft before his sophomore season of high school. He's a really good player. To have him bat in the bottom of our order right now is pretty neat. Next year, he'll probably be hitting at the top of our lineup. It's nice that we're able to put him at the bottom of the order so he can have nice, relaxed at-bats. To get a player that is not LDS, who is that good, it was a big deal for us. It shows other prospective players that aren't LDS that this is a good place to play whether you're a member of the LDS Church or not.
DC: What would you say is the identity of this ball club?
ML: They never quit; they're resilient. They are a super confident group of guys.
DC: Give us your sales pitch. Why should fans come out and watch the team?
ML: I think we're an exciting team. We're running a little bit more. We've got more athleticism. We are 20 out of 27 on stolen base attempts. It's a team that plays the game the right way. We play good defense, and we compete for nine innings. I think anyone that is a baseball fan, or just a fan of college athletics, likes to see players that are going to play hard. That's something this team will definitely do.
Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via twitter @DylanCannon11.
