Max Hewitt Used 2020 Summer to Prepare for Upcoming Season Behind the Plate
STILLWATER – The start of the 2021 baseball season for Oklahoma State is right around the corner with the Pokes heading down to Texas for the season-opener against Sam Houston on Feb. 19.
According to multiple people around the program, Josh Holliday’s squad looks really good and has depth at multiple positions, including catcher. Someone who gives the position a little different of a look this season is Max Hewitt.
Hewitt played in all 18 of the Pokes’ games in 2020, starting 10 of those behind the plate, four at second and three as a designated hitter. When the season was cut short due to COVID-19, Hewitt was second in the Big 12 with a .410 batting average and had eight multi-hit games. Through 75 games, Hewitt owns a .317 career batting average.
The infielder was tabbed a preseason All-Big 12 infield selection before the season of the 2021 season, but coach Holliday said Hewitt’s being working behind the plate 99% of the time leading up to the start of the season.
“Max [Hewitt’s] working 99% of the time at catcher and that’s the position, for this particular ball club, he’ll be counted upon most to do his thing,” said head coach Josh Holliday. “Certainly, versatile enough to drop back and do some other stuff for us, but he’s spending his time at catcher.”
While he had limited action behind the plate in a shortened season last spring, he got plenty of work behind the plate over the summer with the Tulsa Drillers in the Texas Collegiate League.
“I feel really good about [playing catcher],” said Max Hewitt. “We’re kind of a year into this catching deal now and I had an opportunity to go play in Tulsa and caught a ton, so just had more time to kind of pour into the fundamentals and kind of the art of catching and get with some guys and I’ve learned a lot in the past year. I feel really good about it going into this year.”
Hewitt also finished the summer with a .235 batting average with 19 hits and 11 RBIs.
“It was incredibly important,” Hewitt said of getting at bats in the college league over the summer. “Just so thankful for the Drillers for doing that and for Tom Holliday being willing to include me and bring me along for that because I learned so much from everybody. That was a great team to be a part of and I definitely left there feeling like I learned a lot.”
Now that he’s back in Stillwater, Hewitt said there’s a great group of catchers this year he’s learning from, but he’s also taking some knowledge from former Cowboys, including one Cowboy who had an outstanding career in the MLB.
“We have a group of great catchers this year; we work hard together everyday on the fundamentals,” Hewitt said. “Victor Romero’s awesome, I talk to Collin Theroux here and there. This summer I was with Mickey Tettleton all summer. I just try and learn from everybody; anybody who has information that they’re willing to share, I’m willing to listen and take the things I think I’d like to incorporate, and I think that’s been of great value.”
Of the knowledge he’s taken and applied to his game, Hewitt said he feels a lot more comfortable and confident in his abilities.
“I’d say I’ve just really prioritized my receiving,” said Hewitt. “Last year I felt like I did really good; I went in there and I said, ‘you know what, I’m going to do my job and do my best.’ I just feel as though now I’ve had more time to really dive into the fundamentals of receiving the ball and getting to the bottom part of the baseball and present the ball correctly. I feel a lot more comfortable and I feel confident in my ability to do that now.”