Name: Hudson Williams

Sport: Baseball

Position: Infielder 

Year: Sophomore

Hometown: Elk Grove

High School: Wheaton Academy

Lily Goodfellow: When did you start playing baseball?

Hudson Williams: I started playing baseball when I was four or five years old and my dad got me into tee-ball pretty early. And I would always go practice and thought it was a good time. I’ve been playing for a long time. 

LG: Baseball can be a mental game. How do you motivate yourself if you aren’t playing well or your team is losing?

HW: One thing I think about a lot is just how blessed I am to be able to play baseball. It’s the same game that I’ve played since I was a little kid, so just because I’m in college, that doesn’t make the game any different. It’s always stayed the same since I was five years old. So, maybe the stakes are bigger, but I’m the same little kid who got to play with his friends and I still get to do that now. I’m super lucky and I try to remember to just let the seven or eight year old inside me play. I don’t make it bigger than what it needs to be. 

LG: At Wheaton Academy, you set a school record of stolen bases. What’s the secret to successfully stealing a base? 

HW: An easy thing to say would be to be faster than everyone. Which I’m very lucky that I am. But I’d say it’s a lot about confidence. I pay attention to a lot of things, like the pitcher’s timing. A lot of pitchers have sequencing that you can learn if you’re a smart baseball player. So, I would just learn his sequencing, learn how many seconds he would set for, and then I would just take off. More times than not, I was there.

LG: What strengths do you have that make you a great athlete?

HW: Outside of physical traits, like I’m fast, I’m pretty strong, and I’m good at what I do, I think a lot of being a good athlete is just being smart. It’s about being mature. I know really well how baseball works and I see things in a way that not many people do. The game moves pretty slowly for me. When I fell in love with baseball at a young age, I began to learn it really fast. I would say that humbly I’m a lot smarter in baseball than most other kids I’ve played against. So I think just being smart and taking things slow makes you a good athlete.

LG: What are your plans after COD?

HW: I plan on going to play Division 1 baseball. I’m not sure where yet. But I’ll go play Division 1, have a good time, and get my degree in special education and either continue to play baseball or get a job.

LG: How do you plan to make baseball a part of your life long-term?

HW: Like I said, I love the game. I love playing it, for one, but I also love being around it. I think sports are such a unique and special way to impact people’s lives, whether you’re old or young. So, I’ve always loved the thought of being able to coach baseball, especially for younger kids, because that’s where a lot of my life was shaped and formed by my coaches at a young age. And they can have a positive impact or they can have a negative impact. And I know that when I coach, I want to have a positive impact on the younger generation and build them not only into better athletes, but into better young men and women.

LG: Why are the Atlanta Braves your favorite MLB team?

HW: My dad was born in Alabama and that was the closest team to Alabama. So when I grew up, my dad picked every sports team I loved. Alabama is my favorite college team. We didn’t have a football team, so we chose the Bears because we live in Chicago now. But the Atlanta Braves are my dad’s team and his favorite sport is baseball. His favorite team is them because it was the closest to Talladega.

LG: Who has had the greatest influence on you?

HW: My dad, for sure. It’s kind of funny, Lily. My dad was a terrible athlete. He was not good at baseball growing up and was not good at football. I was, humbly, very good at every sport I did growing up. But, beyond that, my dad is so smart mentally. He taught me to be very mature, and very humble and respectful. So, nothing relating to sports, but he taught me to be a respectful and loving young man. I think that helps you much in sports, to have mental maturity.

LG: What’s your favorite class right now and why?

HW: I think my favorite class right now is probably CPR. It’s an elective but I just had a CPR session on Monday to get CPR certified, and I just like the thought of being able to help people. And CPR is something that hopefully I’ll never have to do on anyone because that means they’re in a medical situation. But, I like knowing that I can be equipped to help somebody if they ever need it.

LG: What one word best describes you?

HW: I would say respectful. A lot of people, especially adults, tell me that I am a respectful young man and that is how my dad raised me. So, I like to think it’s true, that I am respectful. I say “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am” and many others, so I’d like to say respectfully.

LG: Thank you very much, Hudson!

HW: Thank you, Lily.