Hyannis Harbor Hawks manager Mitch Karraker summed up what infielder Jaxon Willits has meant to the team in the short time he’s been in Hyannis very quickly.

“We’re really happy he’s here,” said Karraker.

With the Harbor Hawks sitting at 5-2-1 and in first place in the West Division to begin the season thanks to back-to-back wins, one of the key cogs on offense in the last week has been Willits, a shortstop from Oklahoma who has been an immediate spark plug.

Maybe it's not a coincidence that, since Willits joined the team and made his first start in an 8-5 win over the Bourne Braves, the Hawks have won three of their last four games to further assert themselves as the division leader.

Through four games with the Hawks, Willits has an on-base percentage of .700 and an OPS of 1.200, both sky-high marks. Willits has shown incredible patience at the plate to start, picking up nine walks on the season to average over two per game. The nine walks already leads the team and puts him three ahead of Hayden Federico in second place.

In the Hawks’ 6-1 win over the Chatham Anglers Sunday evening, Willits had a unique final box score. He went 1-for-1 at the plate with a base hit, but had five total plate appearances, thanks to drawing four walks.

“I felt like I was seeing the ball well,” said Willits. “I felt like I was separating balls and strikes really well, and obviously that led to my stat line. I feel like I’ve seen the ball well and separated balls and strikes, and I feel like that led to success.”

Additionally, Willits has more walks than hits so far this season, with five hits in 10 at-bats on top of his nine walks. That has given him a .500 batting average and slugging percentage, adding more incredible numbers on top of his on-base percentage and OPS. He’s also shown some speed on the basepaths, with three stolen bases this summer.

Willits credited his early success with the Hawks to the way he plays his type of game.

“Having fun playing baseball and playing hard,” said Willits. “I feel like I’ve been put in a good position, and I’ve ultimately had success because of the position I’ve been put in.”

In the fall of 2024, Willits first started talking to the Harbor Hawks about spending his summer playing in the Cape League, and after some deliberation, he decided to take the opportunity.

He took that into his sophomore season at the University of Oklahoma and put together a strong season for the Sooners, putting together a .326 batting average and .956 OPS while mashing eight home runs and 10 doubles with 43 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 50 games.

Willits believes his strong start at the plate for the Hawks helps not only himself, but everyone in the lineup at the same time.

“Any time you can work a free pass, you can work a count, get a walk, that’s great for not only myself, but for the team,” said Willits. “It gets their pitcher up more pitches, gets their pitch count up, [and] get to the bullpen earlier. It helps the guy behind me see pitches so he can time up pitches and hit what a lot of the guys did [tonight], hit homers.”

In addition to his hot start in the batter’s box, Willits is also expanding on his defensive capabilities in Hyannis. Having played shortstop full-time at Oklahoma, Willits has played shortstop and third base in the field for Hyannis so far, with one start at DH as well. He is also expecting to play some second base for the Hawks as well.

“The other day I played third, [so] learning how to play third and get comfortable over there,” said Willits. “I’m sure I’ll see second base a couple times this summer. Learning new positions, learning how to be comfortable, and learning to help the team win. Obviously I’m comfortable at shortstop, but I’m happy to be in the lineup. Anywhere I can go to help the team win, that is where I’ll be.”

Expanding his versatility in the field is something that Willits thinks will not only help him in the Cape League, but in the pros as well.

In the meantime, Willits is continuing to focus on the big picture in the Cape League, sticking with the process that has gotten him this far and trusting that it will help him keep moving up in his baseball career.