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PROVO — After Vance Law was released from his head coaching duties for BYU baseball after the 2012 season, the Cougars hired Mike Littlewood to manage the team. Prior to coming to the Y., Littlewood was at the helm of a Dixie State squad that won the 2004 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. In all, Dixie State went an impressive 563-238 with Littlewood as the head coach. Under his leadership in his first year as coach for BYU, the Cougars dramatically improved and finished in second place in the West Coast Conference with a 32-21 overall record. Coach Littlewood spoke with KSL.com about the upcoming season as well as a variety of other topics. Note: This interview was conducted prior to the start of the 2014 season.
Dylan Cannon: Heading into the season, how do you feel about your team’s chances of winning the conference and playing in the postseason?
Mike Littlewood: Winning the conference is one of our team goals. If we have a bunch of guys who play to their potential and a few that have great years, we will contend for the league title. I always preach that we can’t afford to have anyone underachieve if we plan on winning championships.
DC: Are there any players on this year’s squad whom fans should keep an eye on?
ML: I don’t really like to point out one or two guys; but if people watch us on a consistent basis, I think they will be impressed with freshman catcher Bronson Larsen and freshmen outfielders Brennon Lund and CJ Latham. Also, veteran pitchers Desmond Poulson and Jeff Barker. Returned missionary pitcher Kolton Mahoney will pitch in the low- to mid-90s and is probably our best pro prospect. Senior first baseman Brock Whitney as well. We are also looking for a great year from James Lengal, a right-handed pitcher.
DC: After a terrific season, Jacob Hannemann from last year’s team was drafted by the Chicago Cubs organization. What will it take for Hannemann to reach the major leagues?
The WCC is a great baseball league. Maybe not as much athletic depth as the Pac-12 or SEC, but I would put it up against most leagues in the country. The WCC is full of guys who just know how to play baseball, and obviously most of the players come out of California where kids get to play a hundred games a year as they grow up.
–Mike Littlewood
ML: Jacob just needs to get a lot of games under his belt. He needs tons of at-bats, tons of defensive reps and opportunities to run the bases. His athleticism will never be a question — he’s a dynamic athlete.
DC: How does the West Coast Conference stack up in baseball compared to the other conferences in the nation?
ML: The WCC is a great baseball league. Maybe not as much athletic depth as the Pac-12 or SEC, but I would put it up against most leagues in the country. The WCC is full of guys who just know how to play baseball, and obviously most of the players come out of California where kids get to play a hundred games a year as they grow up.
DC: Why do you think BYU baseball in the past has generally not created as much buzz as the football and basketball teams?
ML: Baseball never does — it’s not a glamorous sport where you get served food courtside and people get to see you in your luxury box. You have to love the game of baseball to appreciate the intricacies of the game, and there are just less of those type of fans. That doesn’t mean the 1,000 or so fans who show up to our games aren’t as passionate about us as they are the football and basketball teams. When we win a regional, our attendance should go up. (Smiles).
DC: On that note, give fans your sales pitch: why come and watch the Cougars on the diamond?
ML: What fans will see from our players and coaches is a true passion to play the game the right way and compete every pitch. We’ll run out ground balls and pop-ups and play with energy. Who wouldn’t want to see that?
DC: Steroid use in professional baseball has been well documented. Have you seen any way in which college baseball has been affected by steroids?
ML: I haven’t seen it trickle down to college, but I’m not naïve enough to think it doesn’t occur at some levels. I know at the NCAA Division I level we do a good job monitoring through random testing.
DC: What are your thoughts on the continued use of metal bats in college baseball?
ML: The current (collegiate) standards (for) metal bats make the metal bats we use now equivalent to wood bats; so basically we are using a wood bat that is metal. That being said, metal bats do have a larger sweet spot and much more forgiveness. I would like to go to wood bats, but I think that the change would be much too cost-prohibitive for most institutions.
DC: As coach at Dixie State, your team won an NJCAA national championship. Can you describe what that felt like as a coach?
ML: There probably isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about that week in Grand Junction in 2004. I learned a lot as I watched 30 individual guys become a team that year — really nothing like it.
DC: Your son, Marcus, is playing professional baseball for the Class A LumberKings after being selected high in the draft in 2010. How is he enjoying his career as a professional?
ML: Marcus was converted from shortstop to catcher his first season in professional baseball so he’s spent a couple years learning the catching trade. He still loves the game and is working hard in the offseason to advance through professional baseball.
DC: Speaking of professional ball, you played a year yourself in the minor leagues. Any good stories from your brief professional career as a player in the Brewers organization?
ML: Probably just the same old stories guys tell that nobody believes could actually happen (see Bull Durham). Long bus rides, inebriated guys doing crazy things in pools late at night, managers smoking cigarettes in the clubhouse prior to games, and man-made rain-outs. Unfortunately for my baseball career, and fortunately for my coaching career, I realized I couldn’t hit a slider so I was out of pro ball quickly. The year I did play was huge for me as I look back because it gave me the experience to be able to give advice to my future players (and as it turned out, my own son) about what professional baseball was really like. I think playing minor league baseball could be one of the most difficult things a young guy could do. Dylan Cannon is a KSL.com contributor and can be reached at his email dylancannon86@gmail.com or via his Twitter account @DylanCannon11.
