High school baseball: Pine View's Littlewood is once again making his mark in Utah baseball

ST. GEORGE — There has been no senior slump for Mr. Baseball.

Following a stellar year in which Pine View shortstop Marcus Littlewood earned the Deseret News' Mr. Baseball award as a junior and another busy summer that featured dozens of games, one of the brightest baseball prospects in state history has continued along a steady path.

Littlewood is still a force at the plate, as he's hitting .525 with four home runs while batting from both sides of the plate through 14 games. He's still a standout defensively, getting to ground balls that most high school shortstops couldn't dream of reaching. He still understands the game like a coach, as his baseball IQ is off the charts.

"I feel like I'm having a good season," Littlewood said. "I'm playing hard, playing well every game. But I think I can improve in every area.'

That's part of what makes Littlewood great. He's never satisfied with his talent or abilities. He's putting in time off the field to improve his own play, to help Pine View get into the state tournament, and to prepare for the Major League Baseball draft in June.

"He's not afraid of hard work," said Pine View coach Randy Wilstead. "He thinks he has a weakness and he goes hard to get better at it. He's a first one there, last one to leave type of guy."

On the field, all eyes have been on Littlewood this season. While he has Pine View supporters cheering him on, he also has other fans of opposing teams taunting his every move. If he makes an error or strikes out at the plate, rival fans will yell that he's overrated, among other things.

Add the fact that there are usually at least a dozen scouts watching Littlewood each time he plays this season, and games are pressure-packed situations.

"I don't know how the kid does it," Wilstead said. "I've got a ton of respect for him. He just goes out and performs. The kid is amazingly mentally tough."

The taunting, however, doesn't bother Littlewood. He, in fact, loves it.

"I hear 'Littlewood who?' and all that stuff," Littlewood said. "I love that stuff. I love every second of it. I'm lucky to have played in that type of environment. I'm fortunate enough to be used to it. I just have to go about my business and play hard."

Wilstead does have a problem with what other fans say.

"It's brutal," he said. "The jealousy is absolutely amazing. He thrives on it, but it makes me want to go into the stands and tear them apart. It drives me crazy."