Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Member - Jeff Little

Jeff Little

Class of 1973 - Baseball

  • Still holds school records for win (10, 1973), ERA (0.23, 1973), and strikeouts (141, 1973) in a season

  • Woodmore won the Class AA district championship in 1973 and the Wildcats won the Lakeshore Conference title in 1972

  • Was first-team All-Suburban Lakes League (SLL) in 1973 as the Wildcats finished third in the SLL

  • Had a 10-3 record his senior year with a 0.23 ERA allowing just three earned runs; he had 141 strikeouts in just under 87 innings pitched

  • Tossed the only perfect game in school history on April 10, 1973, earning a 2-0 win on the road at Elmwood striking out 16; a routine fly ball to left field was the only ball hit out of the infield in the game by Elmwood; also that season, tossed one-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a win over Gibsonburg, he struck out 18 in a tossing a two-hit, 2-0 win over Eastwood, their only league loss of the season; and he tossed a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Wildcats beat Rossford, 7-1, to win the district title

  • Was invited to and played in the East-West All-Star series after his senior season, the equivalent of earning All-Ohio at the time

  • Had a 9-1 record as a junior with 121 strikeouts in 68 innings; struck out 19 in a 6-1 win over Danbury-Lakeside to clinch an unbeaten league season and the league title

  • Was 4-5 as a sophomore with 125 strikeouts in 65 innings; had 17 strikeouts in a game with Northwood

  • Pitched 70 innings his freshman season with 69 strikeouts and a 3-3 record

  • For his career, he pitched 289.2 innings, struck out 450 batters, and compiled a 29-13 record

  • In his high school career, he pitched the one perfect game, tossed eight one-hitters, five two-hitters, and five three hitters

  • Was also a good hitter batting .365 as senior and .361 as a junior; hit .325 for his career

  • Was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1973 June Amateur draft in the third round as the 54th player taken overall

  • Pitched in the 1980 season with the Cardinals and in 1982 with the Twins

  • 1980 – 18.2 IP, 7 G, 2 ST, 1-1, 3.86 ERA, 18 H, 8 ER, 17 K, 9 BB

  • 1982 – 36.1 IP, 33 G, 0 ST, 2-0, 4.21 ERA, 33 H, 17 ER, 26 K, 27 BB

  • Played 12 seasons in the minor leagues winning 71 games and playing in 330 games, starting 166 with a 4.38 ERA pitching 1,226.1 innings and striking out 850, had 25 saves – won 14 games at Waterbury in AA in 1977 and 11 games in 1978 for Phoenix at the AAA level, pitched more than 100 innings in seven different seasons, was San Francisco property until St. Louis picked him up in 1980 as a free agent – then Minnesota picked him up in 1982 in a trade, ended career in 1984 as Pittsburgh property after being picked up in free agency

  • Family: Wife – Cindy; Children – Morgan and Brianne

  • Currently: Retired from Genoa Motors/Baumann Ford; Resides in Woodville Township