Mark Littell

Mark Alan Littell (January 17, 1953 – September 5, 2022), nicknamed "Country" and "Ramrod", He attended Gideon High School in Gideon, Missouri, and played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher. He threw three no-hitters in his senior year. After he graduated, Littell played American Legion Baseball, representing Blytheville, Arkansas, and recorded 24 strikeouts in his first American Legion game.

Professional career The Kansas City Royals selected Littell in the 12th round of the 1971 MLB draft. Though he had committed to play college baseball for the University of Missouri, he signed with the Royals instead. Littell pitched for the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 1971 after he signed and for the Waterloo Royals of the Class A Midwest League in 1972. He opened the 1973 season with the Omaha Royals of the American Association, and made his major league debut as a starting pitcher on June 14, 1973. Spending much of the season with Omaha, he was named the league's pitcher of the year in 1973. He had only allowed one home run during the regular season. Littell had 12 saves in 1977, and also was a starting pitcher for five games, as the Royals again won the division and lost the AL Championship Series to the Yankees. On August 10, 1981, Pete Rose recorded his 3,631st hit off Littell to become the National League's all-time hits leader. Littell was a member of the Cardinals during their 1982 championship season; He accepted an assignment to the Louisville Bats. In July, Littell went on the disabled list with an elbow injury.

Littell retired after the 1982 season with a 32–31 win–loss record, a 3.32 ERA, and 56 saves.

Coaching career Littell served as a coach in the minor leagues after his playing career. He became the pitching coach the Waterloo Diamonds, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate in the Midwest League in 1989. He joined the San Diego Padres organization and served as the pitching coach for the Charleston Rainbows of the Class A South Atlantic League for the 1990 season and the High Desert Mavericks of the Class A-Advanced California League in 1991. The Padres fired Littell in September 1991.

After the 1991 season, the Milwaukee Brewers hired Littell as the pitching coach of the Stockton Ports of the California League. He coached for Stockton through the 1994 season. In the 1993–94 Australian Baseball League season, he coached for the Brisbane Bandits. He was the pitching coach for the New Orleans Zephyrs in 1996 and for the Tucson Toros in 1997. He coached the Ogden Raptors in 2001 and 2002 and coached for the Helena Brewers from 2003 to 2006. He was an assistant coach for the college baseball team of Dickinson State University in 2012.

Later life Littell attended Union University and the University of Tampa. He wrote three books centered on his professional career in baseball as a player and coach; On the 8th day, God Made Baseball, What's Up Ramrod, and Country Boy: Conveniently Wild. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. In 1982, Marsha co-authored a 28-page magazine with Maryanne Simmons, the wife of Ted Simmons, called The Waiting Room, about being the partner of a professional athlete.

On September 5, 2022, Mark Littell died as the result of complications after heart surgery.

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