ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Hometown: Costa Mesa
Born: Sept. 28, 1989
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 185 pounds
Sport: Baseball
Positions: Pitcher/third base
Coach: Jim Kiefer
Favorite food: Mexican and soul
Favorite movie: “Friday”
Favorite athletic moment: “We were psyched after jumping up and down, celebrating,” said Williams, referring to beating cross-town rival Estancia, 7-5, on May 9 to qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs. “We told ourselves, ‘That’d be great to have that feeling [again]. Why not? Win a bunch of games, go play at Dodger Stadium, and play for a championship.’”
Week in review: With the regular-season finale against Estancia tied in the sixth, Williams came in relief in a must-win Orange Coast League game. He pitched two scoreless innings, led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single, and came around to score the game-winning run, lifting Costa Mesa to a 7-5 victory and into the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
The win also gave Costa Mesa Coach Jim Kiefer his first opportunity to coach in the postseason in eight years.
— David Carrillo Peñaloza
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