Little League player from Utah awake, speaking after surgery

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A Little League baseball player from Utah is awake and speaking after undergoing emergency surgery after the 12-year-old fell off the top bunk of a bed Monday morning.

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Easton Oliverson, a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon Little League baseball team, fell off the bed in a dormitory used to house players for the Little League World Series, which began Wednesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The 12-year-old was airlifted to an area hospital and had surgery for a severe head injury, ESPN reported.

Jace Oliverson, the boy’s father, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that doctors told him his son had punctured an artery, which caused bleeding on the brain, and needed a piece of his skull removed.

Teammates and Little League International officials said that the boy fell an estimated 6 feet onto a hardwood floor, The Washington Post reported.

Easton Oliverson was no longer sedated and was responding to doctors, family and team members on Wednesday.

“Was able to say his name, tell how old he was,” Snow Canyon coach Kyle Hafen told WNEP-TV. “He responds to commands like, ‘Hey, give us a thumbs up.’ He looks good. They’ve taken the breathing tube out.”

Jace Oliverson, who is an assistant coach for the team, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that his son’s improvements “have us all in tears of joy.”

“He asked for water this morning,” Oliverson wrote. “The doctors said that this is good because it usually takes a week or two for patients to usually have the desire to eat or drink after having gotten their breathing tube out.

“He pulled out his feeding tube in the middle of the night (little stinker). They put it back in this morning, and have been working on giving him more food through the tube. He was able to suck water through a straw, and the nurse was able to feed him a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla pudding.”

Easton Oliverson’s favorite player -- Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts -- sent the boy a video offering well wishes, ESPN reported. Easton Oliverson was able to watch the video on Wednesday, according to the sports network.

Snow Canyon, which represents the Mountain Region in the U.S. bracket, will play its first game on Friday at 3 p.m. EDT against the winner of Wednesday’s game between the New England squad from Middleborough, Massachusetts, and the Southeast team from Nolensville, Tennessee. The Snow Canyon team is the first squad from Utah ever to reach the LLWS, ESPN reported.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts sent Oliverson a video offering well wishes, which Oliverson was able to watch on Wednesday.

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