Franklin Regional shortstop Luke Williams can fire a baseball over 90 mph across the diamond.
The senior has skills that college scouts have coveted for a few years. He is primed to play in the SEC at Vanderbilt, but those plans could change if a major league team drafts him this summer.
The possibility is gaining traction.
Williams’ name is popping up on national draft boards, with some outlets projecting him as a top 50 prospect.
The College Baseball Show recently released its top 100 high school prospects for the MLB Draft in July and Williams is No. 29, listed as a shortstop and outfielder. JustBaseball.com also lists Williams at No. 29 among the prep prospects.
“I’ve talked to nearly every team,” Williams said. “I’ve done in-home meetings where they come to your house, Zoom calls and workouts. I’ve seen projections of where I’m at; I think the highest I’ve seen was in the 30-40 range.
Williams’ speed, big bat and “twitchiness” — a popular buzz word among scouts — has him primed to lead Franklin Regional in his final prep season and make a jump to the next level.
A five-tool player, Williams is trying to stay humble and grounded, even with pro scouts showing up to watch him take batting practice.
“I don’t pay too much attention to it, though, and am focused on finishing this season strong and winning a WPIAL championship,” he said.
Williams was a Preseason Senior All-American by Perfect Game. He is ranked No. 2 among seniors in the state by Prep Baseball Report.
Williams came back strong from torn ligaments in his ankle. The injury, which required surgery, occurred in the Panthers’ WPIAL playoff game last year. Williams was wearing metal cleats on a turf field when he slid awkwardly into second base.
Williams has pedigree.
His brother, Jake, played at the Division I level, taking a gap year before four years at Yale. He was an All-Ivy League pick.
Jake is getting married soon and Luke will be his best man.
“I have to get my speech ready,” Luke said.
The address will likely involve baseball. How could it not?
Williams may have to get a different speech ready if he makes the big leagues.
Rally caps on
Yough had dug itself into a hole early against visiting Elizabeth Forward.
The Cougars had a long climb on Cougar Mountain, trailing 11-1 in the third inning.
Yet somehow, they did it, coming all the way back to clip the Warriors, 14-13, to cap an amazing comeback.
Yough scored three times in the fourth, four more in the sixth and five in the seventh, even trailing 13-9 going to the last of the seventh.
Yough first-year coach Andy Chopp was impressed by his team’s resolve.
“The whole game was an excellent experience,” Chopp said. “With me getting to find out the attitude my boys have towards the game, and also, hopefully, them knowing that I will put forward every effort to keep their minds right and focused on battling through any adversity this game will put them through.”
When the score was 11-1, Chopp said he pulled the team into a huddle.
“I let them know that we as a staff believe in everyone of them and it was gonna take a full team effort,” Chopp said, “from the dugout to the field. And they took that and ran with it, chipping away over the next few innings and then eventually getting a walk-off base hit from (Ethan Yuvan).”
Yough had 15 hits against a quality opponent.
Tyler Burkett went 4 for 5 with a double, while Nate Bell and John Steban each had three RBIs.
Ship of the old block
Senior Ian Shipley has been swinging a hot bat since he joined the Mt. Pleasant baseball team.
Shipley transferred from Greensburg Central Catholic.
During a three-game trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., he was 7 for 12 with two home runs and three doubles.
He came back and had a five-hit game against Deer Lakes as the Vikings swept the Lancers, 21-6 and 8-0.
He was 7 for 10 in the series.
Through eight games, Shipley was 19 for 38 (.500).
Shipley’s father, Brian, played at Urbana, Davis & Elkins and Northwestern Oklahoma before pro stints with the Johnstown Johnnies and Cook County Cheetahs.
Ranking ‘em
Norwin moved into the TribLive HSSN top 5 in Class 6A after a three-game sweep against Hempfield. The Knights are No. 5 this week, knocking Hempfield out of the rankings.
Greensburg Central Catholic is the only other Westmoreland County team that is ranked. The Centurions are No. 4 in Class A, one spot better than last week.
Games to watch
A postponement Tuesday forced Norwin and Canon-McMillan to play their Section 1-6A three-game series in as many days, with no off day. The teams will play the rubber game Friday at Norwin.
Other games to keep en eye on Friday include: Hempfield at Mt. Lebanon (Section 1-6A), along with Frazier at Yough, Ligonier Valley at Greensburg Central Catholic, Southmoreland at Connellsville, and Washington at Jeannette.
A two-game series to keep an eye on next week is Latrobe vs. Franklin Regional in Section 1-5A. The opener is Monday at Latrobe, with Game 2 Tuesday at Haymaker Park in Murrysville. Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford were tied for second at the start of the week at 3-1, while Latrobe was one game back at 2-1. Plum was in first at 2-0.
A quietly good series also begins Monday in Section 3-3A with Mt. Pleasant visiting Yough. Game 2 is Tuesday at Mt. Pleasant.
Both teams are averaging over six runs a game.