Hendersonville's Williams is a winner

Hendersonville High's Grant Williams is the Sumner County Baseball Player of the Year.(Photo: Craig Harris/Sumner County Publications)

Grant Williams arrived at Hendersonville High School prior to his sophomore year.

It was as a junior that he made his mark.

The Commandos relied on the right arm of the 6-foot-4, 225-pound standout heavily in their postseason run to the Class AAA State Tournament. Williams picked up four pitching victories in the postseason, including a win over Wilson Central in the District 9-AAA Tournament championship game, a victory over Clarksville and Vanderbilt University signee Donny Everett in the Region 5-AAA Tournament semifinal round, and then in the team's sectional victory over visiting Centennial.

Hendersonville equaled a program record with 33 wins, won the District 9-AAA North Division championship, won the District 9-AAA Tournament title and won the Region 5-AAA Tournament championship.

On the mound, Williams had a 9-1 record and a 1.31 ERA, with opposing hitters batting just .165 against him. Over 69 and 1/3 innings, Williams allowed 41 hits, issued 20 base on balls and struck out 69 hitters.

At the plate, Williams had a .358 batting average with 10 doubles, three home runs, 29 runs scored and 32 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .478.

Williams was selected as the District 9-AAA Co-Most Valuable Player.

He was recently one of the 20 rising sophomores and juniors who competed for Team Tennessee in the Junior Sunbelt National Championship, helping the state's top underclassmen to a runner-up finish in the event.

Williams also participated in the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association (TBCA) Showcase at Middle Tennessee State University last month, one of 100 standouts selected. Williams was also among the top 25 of those players, earning him an opportunity to represent the state in Border Wars (in which the Tennessee players compete against players from Alabama and Georgia).

As a result of his efforts during the high-school season, Williams has been named the Sumner County Player of the Year on the All-County Baseball Team.

We recently sat down with Williams and discussed a variety of subjects. His feedback is as follows …

Talk about the differences between your previous home of West Monroe, La., and Hendersonville? The pitchers are actually a lot better here than they are in Louisiana. The schools are a little bit harder here than in Louisiana, considering we're on block schedule. There's a lot more to do here. I feel like I've grown closer to friends here than back there.

Was relocating tough?

At first, I was like 'mom, I'm going to give you 30 days to get me to like it. If I don't like it, I'm moving back.' I ended up liking it.

Have you played other sports in the past?

I played football up until my freshman year. I played basketball up to eighth grade. I played soccer in first grade. It was a little too much running. Basketball was just kind of a tough sport for me. I didn't have a great shot. I liked football until my sophomore year. It just fell down because of the coaches (in West Monroe).

What did you expect baseball-wise when you arrived at Hendersonville High?

I didn't know anything about (Hendersonville). Heading north, I thought baseball was going to be worse than down south. I was definitely wrong.

Was your level of success this season surprising?

There were times I surprised myself. I wouldn't have been 9-1 without an infield and an outfield and the rest of my team hitting like that. When we went to Hoover (Ala., for the Hoover Buccaneer Classic), I was surprised I did pretty well there, though I did get my one loss. But that was to a good team (Hoover High School).

What was your most memorable moment this season?

When I beat Donny Everett. It was pretty awesome. The atmosphere was definitely crazy. There was a lot of hype on the game. We knew I was on the mound. We knew he was on the mound. We were like, 'maybe it will be a pitcher's duel.' It was. It was a hectic game. It was pretty fun to pitch in.

When did your recruiting interest really pick up?

After that (Clarksville) game, I got a call from Middle (Tennessee State University). I went on an unofficial visit over there. A month or two later, I got a call from Trevecca and Belmont and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Before the Clarksville game, I got a call from Samford (Ala., University).

Do you have any scholarship offers on the table, and do you have a timetable for deciding on where you'd like to play college baseball?

I only have one offer right now (MTSU). I wasn't really planning on where I decided to go until after this summer. Hopefully, I'll pick up more (offers). I'm pretty open right now.

What parts of your game need to improve?

I need to bump up my velocity a little bit. I need to get it up probably two or three or four miles per hour. I'm sitting 85-87 typically. That (increase) would be high 80s to low 90s.

What was the experience of playing for Team Tennessee like?

It was awesome. The level of players I got to play with was unreal. The competition was also really good. We didn't see anybody (pitchers) probably below 87 (miles per hour). Everybody was upper 80s to low 90s. Realizing you can throw the ball and feel that your guys are going to make a play every single time, it feels good.

You were almost exclusively a pitcher and designated hitter this spring. Will we see you as an everyday, position player in 2016?

I think I'll be our first baseman this year. I practiced a little last year at first. I played a couple innings at third this year, but it was pretty much all Connor (Fischer, the team's everyday third baseman).

Who is the toughest pitcher that you've faced?

It was probably Donny. You don't see many guys throwing high 90s at the high-school level. It puts stress on the rest of the team trying to hit on him. You can't allow many baserunners (as the opposing pitcher). You have to kind of shut down their whole team basically. It just happened to work out against Donny.

Who is the toughest hitter that you faced?

Probably Cullen Smith from Wilson Central. He doesn't strike out. He puts the ball in play. He's a patient hitter. I walked him once. He squared one up on me, but he still got out.

How disappointing was the state tournament, losing your first two games?

It was pretty disappointing. It's tough going into the seventh inning (in the opening-game loss to Soddy-Daisy), realizing that we have this game. It's right there. We just kind of blow the first game. It's a tough situation in the second game (an eight-inning loss to Bartlett), going into the bottom of the eighth inning after having loaded the bases (in the top of the inning).

How big of a challenge will next season be after losing 10 seniors?

It's going to be tough, filling seven positions. Other than our pitching staff, we'll be trying to find places for everyone to play, other than the catcher (returning starter Cooper Brenning). Everything is open. We can still make a run. We just have to find the right players for the right positions. We have the talent. We have 11 seniors.

As the team went through the postseason, did you receive a lot more attention based on how well you performed?

I had people in my school like, 'are you pitching tonight?' If I said yes, they would be like, 'I think we'll win.' It was good encouragement from my school. Even Will (Wacaser, the team's No. 2 pitcher and his classmate) would be encouraging. He'd be like, 'you're throwing some gas tonight.'

What is the funniest moment with the team that you can recall?

After the Centennial game, Ben shaved his beard into a mustache like you'd see on a cop on a TV show. After we beat Centennial, one of the dads in the stands was like, 'get this 30-year-old off the field.' We were like get off his back. Ben does look old though.

Another funny thing that happened … one day we're at practice. It's last summer. Cooper Brenning is letting Jon Swindle drive his car. He didn't realize the back of his (Chevrolet) Tahoe is open. Jon floors it in reverse. He hits the basketball goal (in the parking lot). They paid for it obviously. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Who is your biggest fan and why?

Probably my mom (Marion Williams). She always tells me what I did wrong and will tell me a way I can correct it. It's usually a win-win for me. She'll tell me everything I need to know. My papaw and nana (Dale and Janet Sandifer) are big fans. They came up (from Louisiana) for the district tournament.

Do you have any superstitions?

Don't step on the line (baseline during the game). Whenever I come off the field, I'll make sure I don't step on the line. I always hang my bag on the same hook in the dugout. It's beside the Gatorade container. Whenever I'm in the bullpen, I'll throw four pitches – the first round – of each pitch out of the windup. Then, (it will be) curveball, curveball, curveball. Then, I'll do two pitches out of that pitch out the stretch. Then, I'll do two of each pitch out of the windup. Then, I'll do one of each pitch out of the stretch. Then, I'll go curveball, change-up, fastball … I have to end on the fastball.

What is something that people don't know about Grant Williams?

I'll watch Netflix. Once I get hooked on a show, I'll finish it in like a week. Even if it's a nine-season show, I'll finish it in a week. "Friday Night Lights" … it's so good.

Which players are you closest to on the team?

My three closest friends are Ian (MacMaster), Will (Wacaser) and Cooper (Brenning). We're pretty much a little clique. We hang out a lot.

Hendersonville head coach Mike Hendrix on Grant Williams …. "He's very competitive. He's a hard worker. The biggest thing is that he wants the ball. During that regional-tournament week, when he beat Clarksville (on Monday) and pitched on Friday (against Centennial), I went out and talked to him in the seventh inning (of the sectional win). He said, 'I want to finish.' That's all I needed to hear. He was very relaxed when I went out there. When he said what he said, that's all I needed to hear.

"Going into summer ball that first year (he was in Hendersonville), we were over at Trevecca (Nazarene University) playing in a tournament. He started off well and got tired. Then, he got stronger and stronger. Going into our offseason program, he got himself physically in shape. He can still add some bulk and muscle to that frame."