Scenes from Day 3 of the 2022 Little League World Series

SOUTH WLLIAMSPORT -- Sportsmanship was on full display Friday at the Little League World Series to show support for a Utah player who suffered a serious head injury when he fell from his upper bunk while sleeping.

Easton Oliverson was watching with his mother in a hospital room in the Janet Weiss Children’s Hospital when his Snow Canyon team from Santa Clara, Utah, played Nolensville, Tenn., but he still got a standing ovation.

So did his 10-year-old brother, Brogan, who took his place on the team. He got one when he was introduced before the game, when he was announced as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth and when he struck out.

“It was awesome,” said Utah manager Mark Ence.

It did not stop there. The Tennessee players wore Mountain Region caps for their pre-game workouts in a nod to their opponents, who had won the Mountain Region title, becoming the first Utah team to advance to the world series.

“There are things bigger than baseball,” Ence said of the gesture.

Utah fans took an extra step to show their support for Easton, who according to his manager, “is improving rapidly.”

Besides being Team Utah it also is now Team Easton. The fans unfurled a large banner before the game showing that. The also wore Team Easton bracelets.

Unfortunately Utah did not win the game for Easton, losing 11-2, but they still have the opportunity to come through the loser’s bracket.

Easton has been hospitalized since early Monday when he fell out of his upper bunk in International Grove, where the world series teams stay.

Derek Oliverson, who is an uncle of the injured Utah player, takes in the game with Nolensville, Tenn., with his son Eric.

“He’s doing awesome,” said his uncle, Derek Oliverson, who watched the game in the stands with his son, Eric. “He’s alert and talking.”

He walked to the bathroom unassisted and the results of Wednesday’s MRI were normal, Ence said.

The manager and several of the players have spoken to him via FaceTime. “I told him I loved him” and he replied “I love you back,” Ence said.

Easton’s father, Jace, one of the Utah coaches, was with the team while his wife, Nancy, stayed with their son.

The standing ovation for the injured player occurred when he was introduced pre-game by way of a picture on the scoreboard. He received a participation medal although he will not be able to play.

The request to add Brogan to the roster came from the coaches, not the family, Ence said. Little League was concerned about Brogan’s age but he has played against older players during the season, the manager said.

Easton cried when he learned his brother was taking his place, his uncle said. He explained they were tears of joy for his brother and sadness for himself since he would not be able to play.

“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” is the way Ria Hafen, whose son Linc is one of Easton’s teammates, described the week. Everyone was up after being becoming the first team from Utah to make it to the world series, she said. Then Easton got hurt.

The first day was really hard on the parents, she said. The kids were a little naïve at first but they have seen pictures of him and they are beginning to understand, Ence said.

Easton did not fall off the bunk as the result of horse play, the manager said. He went to sleep with an arm hanging off the bed and a teammate found him on the floor shortly before 2 a.m., he said.

There were no railings on the upper bunks, which the Little League organization has now moved to the floor.

Ence described Easton as smiling, happy-go-lucky kid who also wrestles. The pitcher/outfielder was very competitive and was missed on the field, he said.

The family is gratified for all the support and prayers, he said, noting a number of fundraisers have been established for them.

Little League would not comment if it is picking up some or all of Easton’s medical bills, saying its focus is on him recovering.

Asked about a long-term prognosis for his nephew, Derek Oliverson said he did not know. The focus currently is day-to-day progress, he said.

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