By Troy Juhn
Matthew Williams, to put it lightly, has excelled this season as one of the best hitters on the Millersville Marauders, who currently sit at #6 in the NCBWA rankings. Williams ranks tied for first on the team in home runs, second in RBIs, third in slugging, fifth in on base percentage and 3rd in total hits. As the everyday first baseman for the Marauders, Williams has been one of the most productive incoming Utica Blue Sox players. Williams is also a relief pitcher, but has only thrown one inning this year. I talked to Matthew before the season began.
Q: Why did you decide to go to summer ball and what are you looking forward to the most?
Matthew: Summer ball, our coaches love it. It’s a great opportunity to get better over the summer and get better at bats. And of course a guy like me who’s also in the bullpen, who doesn’t throw a lot during the year, get a chance at more innings. I know we have three other Millersville players coming, excited to play with them more. Meeting the coaches and my new teammates from different schools, so it should be a good time.
Q: And what parts of your game are you specifically excited to work on the most?
Matthew: At the plate. Working on my approach more, and seeing a lot more different pitchers this summer. Getting on the mound a lot more than I do here(Millersville) and filling up the strike zone, work on my offspeed pitches a lot more.
Q: Why work on your offspeed pitches specifically?
Matthew: I haven’t been on the mound a lot this year, so there hasn’t been a lot of in-game time for me to work on these pitches. I’ve been working on a new slider, so I’m just waiting to develop it more on the mound this summer.
Q: You’ve been one of the better hitters on Millersville this season, but is there still anything you want to work on at the plate that you wouldn’t get during the regular season but you could get in Utica?
Matthew: Just staying consistent with line drives and fly balls more. Often there’s that one pitch that you miss that you know you can hit. More at bats creates more reps and opportunities for me to be able to work on hitting those pitches that I know I am capable of hitting.
Q: What player do you compare yourself to the most that is currently in the MLB?
Matthew: I guess this year, my head coach Shehan(Jon Shehan, head coach at Millersville) always sends me a lot of videos of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Our swing is pretty similar and we both do a toe tap. So I’ve been watching his swing a lot, just to fall into a rhythm and timing.
Q: What’s your thought process on analyzing Vlad’s swing and watching film overall?
Matthew: I pretty much look at a ton of different parts while analyzing his swing. Say I’m not holding my hands well or my front shoulder is working down instead of up, that’s what I’ve been working on recently, working my shoulder up to create more backspin. Anything I really need to work on is what I really focus on while watching film.
Q: On the pitching side of things, is there a specific pitcher that resembles how you work the most?
Matthew: I don’t know, I’m a pretty tight mover. I’m not a loose thrower, so I haven’t really focused on one guy. But I would anyone who is a bigger, taller guy who moves pretty tight, I would focus on them the most.
Q: What is the one big goal that you and your teammates want to accomplish this summer in Utica?
Matthew: Just win. We love to win here at Millersville, so win ballgames and have a lot of fun. In summer ball, your not there to relax per se, but there’s not that much stress compared to school ball. So just relax, have fun with the guys, but know that your there to get your work in and have a good time.
Q: In the biggest games, what’s your mindset in those high pressure, high stress situations?
Matthew: It’s hard to not think about every game the same, but you gotta take it with that mindset. Here at Millersville, since everyone plays in the PSAC to beat us, your getting everyone’s best every game no matter who we play, whether it’s the first game or 15th game of the year. No matter what you always have to be ready to play regardless of the situation or the point of the season.
Q: Who’s a player you looked up to the big leagues when you were growing up?
Matthew: My favorite player was always David Ortiz, growing up as a huge Red Sox fan.
Q: Do you have a lot of takeaways from watching a lot of Ortiz?
Matthew: We are a little bit different, but the fact that he’s played with such a competitive mindset really inspires me and still does to this day.
Q: What do you take away from a major league players mindset during their season?
Matthew: Luckily, Millersville had produced two MLB players, Tim Mayza and Chas McCormick. This year in zoom meetings back in January, we talked with them and it was nice to pick Chas’s brain about his approach against big league pitchers. It’s really not that different from our approach now, everything is just a little more advanced. Baseball is already hard, so the more you can simplify your plan of approach and not think about it too much, you have a better chance to succeed. On the pitching side, Tim talks about what pitches work the best for him, so if he’s a sinker/slider guy, he’s not going to try to be a fastball/curveball guy, he needs to pitch to his strengths and pitch how he knows already.