CV’s Justin Williams Excels at PSU
Evan Williams
Staff Writer
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Former Cumberland Valley and current Penn State baseball player Justin Williams finished his first year at PSU as All Big Ten Freshman Third Baseman. Williams is a sophomore returning starter coming into the 2020 baseball season at Happy Valley, and he offers some advice on the hectic recruiting process.
Williams began his legendary career at Cumberland Valley like many other student athletes have, as an ambitious freshman anxious to start a new chapter in their life. Through hard work, he earned the role of starter as a sophomore. Never looking back, Williams proved to be a scary name in the Eagles’ lineup, giving opposing pitchers a nightmarish time on the mound.
Williams began his recruitment process before he even started high school, a feeling that, at first, was very weird to him. He became accustomed to the process and he believes most others can as well.
“It can be an intimidating process at first, but you quickly learn which schools will be a good fit for you.”
He did just that, as he committed to play baseball at Penn State after his sophomore season.
Aside from the huge step up in the level of competition on the field, the adjustment to the academics may be the biggest change a student athlete faces upon entering college. Williams was no exception to this reality.
“The workload and time management was the biggest adjustment for me entering college. There is a lot that goes into one day of being a student athlete. It is a totally different environment than I was used to in high school.”
Although the adjustment to both athletics and academics was rough at times, Williams prevailed and became acclimated to college life. Williams finished off his freshman year on the highest note he could, earning the title of All Big Ten Freshman. He also adjusted very well to his classes, and became used to the effort required of him with schoolwork.
Williams advised recruits to “focus on the things you have control over, such as effort, being on time, hustle, being a good teammate, and many more small things.”
The best way to impress a college coach, in his opinion, is by impressing them with the little things and the menial tasks. By doing these things, the recruiting process can go much smoother for any prospective college athlete.