Olive Branch native Kendall Williams turns down Vanderbilt to sign with Toronto Blue Jays
In the days, weeks and months leading up to the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft, Kendall Williams' plan was to stay somewhat close to his native Olive Branch and pitch for Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Then Williams was drafted in the second round (No. 52 overall) by Toronto. The 6-foot-6 right-hander decided to sign with the Blue Jays, and he has reported to Dunedin, Florida.
Olive Branch native Kendall Williams was recently selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Williams played the past three seasons at IMG Academy in Florida.
The 18-year-old had spent the previous three seasons attending school and playing baseball for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Williams was enrolled at Southaven’s DeSoto Central High School as a freshman.
According to MaxPreps, Williams appeared in 10 games this season, throwing 46 innings with a 6-0 record and a 0.91 ERA. He registered 69 strikeouts, while walking only 15.
His teammates included pitcher Brennan Malone, who was selected 33rd overall by Arizona, and shortstop Rece Hinds, who was taken by Cincinnati in the second round with the 49th pick.
“We were a great team,” said Williams. “Just being around kids who have the same vision; that same work ethic. When you put them all in the same room day in, day out … we pushed each other, and we fed off each other — it just kind of all worked.”
Williams is expected to spend the remainder of the 2019 season in Dunedin. There's been a steady diet of working out and trying to get acclimated to the Blue Jays minor-league system.
“We have all kinds of technology, like slow-motion cameras to see how the ball is coming off my hand; see how I’m tunneling all my stuff,” he said. “It’s a different lifestyle. It’s something you have to be mentally and physically ready for. You have to be fully committed and understand you’re doing this for a reason — one goal only.”
Harding honored by NJCAA
Former ECS standout Houston Harding, now at Itawamba Community College, was recently chosen as a third-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
The future Mississippi State Bulldog pitcher put the wraps on a stellar sophomore season with a 10-0 record to go along with a 2.62 ERA and a team-high 90 strikeouts. Other postseason honors for Harding included NJCAA All-Region 23 and a spot on the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges All-State first team.
Harding, a native of Walls, Miss., becomes the 14th ICC baseball player to garner All-America honors.
Telli doubles up on postseason honors
D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association recently bestowed a pair of all-region honors to Rhodes College senior catcher Jacob Telli.
Second-team and third-team distinction, respectively, went to the Hendersonville native after amassing career-highs in slugging percentage (.585), batting average (.387), hits (55), RBIs (36) and stolen bases (22). Last month, Telli was named the Southern Athletic Association Player of the Year. The Lynx finished the spring with a 26-19 record.
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