LLWS Player Easton Oliverson Conscious, Talking After Having Surgery on Head Injury

Easton Oliverson, a 12-year-old player for Utah's Snow Canyon Little League team, is conscious and speaking after suffering a head injury Monday morning, according to ESPN.

Oliverson fell off his bunk bed in a Williamsport, Pennsylvania, dorm room ahead of the Little League World Series and had to be airlifted to a children's hospital, where he underwent surgery.

"He went through pretty traumatic surgery to get to where he's at, but the doctors are all really positive," Oliverson's uncle Spencer Beck told Alex Vejar of the Salt Lake Tribune. "All of the steps moving forward have been good so far."

Oliverson's father, Jace, said doctors diagnosed the Little Leaguer with a punctured artery that caused bleeding in his brain and required a piece of his skull to be removed.

He also said Easton's favorite player, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts, sent Easton a video supporting him in his recovery.

Little League officials said Tuesday they reached out to the Oliverson family and were "pleased to hear that his medical team remains encouraged by his progress," adding they would use the resources available to "support the player, his family, and his coaches and teammates, as we navigate this unfortunate situation."

Snow Canyon is set to kick off its LLWS schedule Friday against the winner of Wednesday's Southeast vs. New England matchup.

"As hard as it will be to not have Easton out there playing, they're still from this community, this is still a historical moment for the state, for Little League and for our community," Beck said. "We're cheering them on and maybe they'll have a little inspiration from Easton and they'll go win it all. That would be awesome."