re: Baseball Recruiting Discussion

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Over the last several weeks, Williams pondered whether he wanted to walk on at South Carolina, accept a hefty scholarship offer at Furman, or play for Spartanburg Methodist, a junior college powerhouse making its second straight JUCO World Series appearance, with the chance to transfer later.

Williams knew where he wanted to end up in his college baseball career, so he figured he might as well start there.

“Ultimately, I felt like I wanted to end up at Carolina in the long run,” Williams said. “I feel like my heart is at Carolina. I’m just a Gamecock. I’ve been around Carolina a good bit. When I went down for a game, the coaches were real nice. For my visit, they showed me around. They were all laid back. I feel like I fit well with the coaches.”

Williams played shortstop for his Belton-Honea Path High School team but he projects as a corner infielder at the next level. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is likely to start off at third base for the Gamecocks during fall practice but he’s versatile enough to play a number of positions.

During his time in Columbia, Williams could play either corner infield or corner outfield position. He could also see some time at short, which gives the South Carolina coaches plenty of options.

“I don’t mind playing anywhere, really,” Williams said. “I’ve been getting a lot of work this summer at third. Short is like home to me. Third is becoming like short is to me. I won’t say it’s easy, but I’m really improving there.”

Williams, who is a left-handed hitter, finished his high school season hitting .370 with 18 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 10 hits for extra bases. Over his five-year career, which included 10 games played as an eighth grader on the varsity team, Williams hit .411 with 102 RBIs.

“I like hitting gap-to-gap,” Williams said. “I’m a really good backside hitter. I’ve been working a lot on my top hand trying to get more pop on the ball pull side. I want to keep teams off balance, lay down a few bunts here and there, and just get on base.”

Coming in as a walk-on, Williams understands the challenges he will face. There are only eight walk-on spots on college rosters and there will be at least double that number trying out next year to make the squad.

Williams said that he’s going to come in and work hard to earn one of those eight spots but if it’s in his best interest to redshirt, that’s what he will do. Between now and the start of fall practice though, the AAA All-State selection has some areas of emphasis to work on.

With the high school season over and his senior year winding down, Williams has spent at least a portion of each day at TNT Sports, a facility in Williamston that has indoor batting tunnels and an outdoor turf field to take ground balls, along with a workout and recovery areas. He’s working with former South Carolina and Citadel baseball player Jay Reames, who also coaches his summer team.

“I’ve been hitting the weight room hard lately trying to get bigger and trying to get a little bit more pop,” Williams said. “Arm strength, foot work, quickness - I’ve been going to TNT a lot, which is where I’ve been working out., to develop those areas. Those guys are trying to get me ready for the next level.”

Williams is working every day to get ready for the next level. He wanted South Carolina to be his ultimate destination, so he figured that’s where he’d begin.

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