Roland baseball coach Anthony Frazier knew from the time he first encountered Paxton Pitts that he could be a special player.

“I was an assistant coach in Paxton’s freshman year and I could just kind of tell early on that he had a knack for the game. He had a high baseball IQ even then and it’s just gotten better over the years. He’s a four-year starter for us and he’s a pretty versatile player. I use him primarily at third and shortstop but he’s also been doing some pitching this year and he plays outfield on his travel team.”

In many cases when you ask about leadership, the answer you get is about leading by example. But not so much the case with Paxton according to his coach.

“He’s a very vocal leader. If he see’s someone doing something they’re not supposed to, he’ll voice his opinion about doing things right. He also doesn’t put up with back talk from his teammates to me or the assistants.”

Paxton has been playing baseball since he was three or four and has been on a travel team since he was eight which has its pros and cons according to the Ranger senior.

“On the one hand I think the competition is consistently better in travel ball which helps you be better for school ball. But on the other hand, you’re playing all the time and you don’t really have any time for yourself during the summer.”

In addition to baseball, Paxton is also on the Ranger football squad where he usually plays receiver but this year played some quarterback as well.

“Playing quarterback was a lot of fun and I think we had the best season that we’ve had in a while so that made it more special,” said Pitts.

Hitting and fielding have always come pretty naturally for Pitts but according to his coach there is another area that Paxton has shown improvement in this year.

“He’s always complained about his feet hurting so this year he’s finally taken the advice of his parents and doctor and put some inserts in his cleats. It’s amazing how much faster you can run when your feet don’t hurt,” laughed Frazier.

Paxton Pitts will continue his baseball and learning careers next year at Carl Albert State and, though he’s still undecided about what he’ll study, thinks he might like to coach someday.