How ‘crashing into the wall’ helped lead to Notre Dame CF TJ Williams getting his shot in the starting lineup
When the opportunity opened up, Notre Dame center fielder TJ Williams was going to be prepared. He made sure of it.
The 5-11, 185-pound Maryland native arrived at Notre Dame in the fall of 2020, playing his first game for the Irish on March 19, 2021 against Duke. Williams contributed when he got his shot, but he concluded his rookie year with zero starts in his pocket. In total, Williams appeared in 12 games in 2021 and notched seven runs, two hits, three RBIs and batted .333.
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But Williams wanted more, and he was determined to show Irish head coach Link Jarrett he could handle the pressure of starting for what has become one of the nation’s top baseball teams.
“He has an energy to his game that is infectious,” Jarrett said. “If I could tell you guys how many (times), when batting practice is winding down, he’s crashing into the wall and diving. I haven’t told an outfielder before ‘Hey, that’s enough laying out.’ The guy wants to play, and when there’s a ball to hit and we’re taking batting practice, he’s going to try to prove that he belongs out there.”
Williams appeared in games against Manhattan and Marist to start 2022, but it was as a reliever for veteran starting center fielder Spencer Myers.
When Myers wasn’t having the year everyone expected, Jarrett decided to make a change. All that running into the center field wall was about to pay off.
“The matchup finally presented itself, and I wasn’t going to (put him in as the designated hitter),” Jarrett recalled. “So I just said, ‘You know what, Spencer? It’s his time to have a shot at center field. Let’s go.'”
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The sophomore made his first start against Monmouth on Feb. 26, batting in the six spot. On March 6 against Minnesota, Williams was moved to the top of the lineup.
The decision proved to be a good one. Williams played lights out, especially on defense.
“He did some things,” Jarrett said with an impressed look. “He decoyed a ball and turned a double play. I’ve never seen a center fielder act like he lost the fly ball, catch it and throw the ball to first base. And when I say throw the ball to first base, (I’m talking about) elite arm strength. He adds a dimension out there very few people have.”
Williams finished a three-game stint in Minneapolis in the Cambria College Classic with a distinct honor: he was one of four players to make the all-tournament team. The other three were pitchers Austin Temple, John Michael Bertrand and Ryan McLinskey. The Irish went 3-0 against Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota.
Fast forward and Williams has started eight games and is batting .342 with 13 hits, seven RBIs and a home run. He adds a fielding percentage of .960. As the season plays out and the Irish face more quality opponents, we will learn if Williams’ production was a blip on the radar or will become the norm for the sophomore outfielder.
One thing’s for sure, his work ethic certainly isn’t a blip on the radar. Typically, that bodes well for production.
