Jonah Williams Bringing Unique Mindset to Texas Longhorns

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns successfully brought home their fourth SEC series sweep and sixth consecutive conference series win this weekend against the No. 8 Auburn Tigers, where a top-to-bottom lineup once again showcased power at the plate.

As head coach Jim Schlossnagle continues to curate a dominant starting lineup, Longhorn fans were met with an unexpected surprise in Friday's order. Freshman phenom Jonah Williams made his first career start as a Longhorn against the Tigers, a moment that many have been waiting for since he arrived on the Forty Acres a semester early.

The 17-year-old helped propel the Longhorns to a 8-3 victory on Friday, driving home three runs on two hits, and returned on Saturday with three hits and two runs in their 14-2 run-rule win.

Williams has arguably become a household name at Texas due to the fact that he is one of few dual-sport athletes. The left fielder will play for Schlossnagle this spring before turning into a safety for football head coach Steve Sarkisian in the fall.

Schlossnagle said that Williams' unique situation has made him one of the best competitors on the team, and his performance against Auburn has earned him a spot on Tuesday's starting lineup against Texas State.

Texas Longhorns outfielder Jonah Williams warms up before the first inning as the Longhorns play the Auburn Tigers | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I think I'd be in a lot of trouble with Longhorn fans if Jonah wasn’t out there," Schlossnagle said during post game interviews on Saturday. "The thing about Jonah is you gotta think about, you know, in today's youth athlete, there aren't that many multi-sport people in high school, much less in college. And considering how many baseball games youth baseball team kids play these days, he's probably played 40 percent of the games of the rest of the guys in our dugout. I think there is something to be said for being a super competitor, and that's what he is. He's using the whole field to hit so, yeah, he's going to be playing left field Tuesday night.”

Williams' teammates in the dugout believe that his football experiences have helped prepare him for the challenges that an SEC baseball schedule entails.

"It just goes back to being a great competitor," graduate student and first baseman Kimble Schuessler said. "I can only imagine what's like playing SEC football over there on Saturdays, and I know that our game isn't as physical as that, but I mean, he takes that compete that he has over there over to the diamond, and it's helped him a lot."

Fellow outfielder and sophomore Tommy Farmer IV said that Williams has been one of the more motivational members in the dugout, which could stem from his personality as a football player.

"If ever the dugout gets a little quiet or something, he'll be the guy to get guys going, and he's always on the top step, and he's just a great teammate," Farmer said. "I think he has that football swag, that football confidence."

Although Williams has been spending more time at the Disch, having been to only a few spring football practices, he said he wants to be involved in both sports equally rather than choose a label.

"I'm athlete. I came here to play both sports," Williams said. "[My plan is to] stay firm with baseball in the spring and in the fall, [it's] football time. So just having that split time was just what I came here to do."

Williams looks to make his third start for the Longhorns on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT in San Marcos as Texas hopes to avenge its previous loss against the Wildcats.