I was surprised that very little showed up when I searched the website. Thoughts and opinions on the baseball program/coaches as well as the school in general would be appreciated. I know the school, but just assume that I am naive. Thanks
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Williams is a NESCAC. A Small Ivy. It’s one of the top small colleges in the country. The baseball website has all the information any other college website would have. They were 24-11 this past year. They’ve played .558 ball over the coach’s previous thirteen seasons.
(Thanks for the tip on Wahconah. Saw the North Shore Navigators who came to play the Suns. Special place)
Yes, I can read a website. Post is a query for knowledge and info that others from the NE may have. Thanks.
Texas1836 posted:Yes, I can read a website. Post is a query for knowledge and info that others from the NE may have. Thanks.
Work in progress
Texas1836 posted:Yes, I can read a website. Post is a query for knowledge and info that others from the NE may have. Thanks.
Sorry, my previous post didn't answer your question. You might need to use social media to reach out to former players. Good luck
Relative to the other NESCAC schools, Williams is known to be at the "grind" end of the spectrum of academic seriousness. For example, the percentage of students studying on a Saturday night. Prospective students should be aware of this. Some might find it oppressive.
CollegebaseballInsights posted:Texas1836 posted:Yes, I can read a website. Post is a query for knowledge and info that others from the NE may have. Thanks.
Sorry, my previous post didn't answer your question. You might need to use social media to reach out to former players. Good luck
I did not know of the site. Thanks, very informative.
Texas1836 posted:CollegebaseballInsights posted:Texas1836 posted:Yes, I can read a website. Post is a query for knowledge and info that others from the NE may have. Thanks.
Sorry, my previous post didn't answer your question. You might need to use social media to reach out to former players. Good luck
I did not know of the site. Thanks, very informative.
I will PM you.
game7 posted:Relative to the other NESCAC schools, Williams is known to be at the "grind" end of the spectrum of academic seriousness. For example, the percentage of students studying on a Saturday night. Prospective students should be aware of this. Some might find it oppressive.
Thanks. Good to know of the reputation as a grind among peers. He wouldn't find it oppressive, just a continuation of HS which he may want to get away from.
@CollegebaseballInsights wow, very insightful info. Is this a general NESCAC site, or posted somewhere w/in Williams site?
@CollegebaseballInsights - or your site, which now that I'm looking at your handle will assume it is (duh..lol)
FWIW...Oldest son was recruited there 10 years ago, but not offered. Their recruiting timetable & process was extremely late and slow, and my son had already had serious offers in hand. We tried to get information from the coaching staff, but they were reluctant to communicate. If I remember correctly, they had 2-3 "slots" for recruited baseball athletes. I spent considerable time trying to understand NESCAC admissions & recruiting, and I finally figured it out. By the time, I figured it out my son had committed to an Ivy.
My lasting memory of Williams was their lack of urgency in the recruiting process. I suspect that hasn't changed much as I helped a young man a few years ago with his college baseball recruitment (via HSBBWeb). He is an exceptionally bright and mature young man. He was recruited and offered by Williams in October. So, I don't think their timetable and sense of urgency has changed a whole lot.
Good luck!
Texas1836 posted:game7 posted:Relative to the other NESCAC schools, Williams is known to be at the "grind" end of the spectrum of academic seriousness. For example, the percentage of students studying on a Saturday night. Prospective students should be aware of this. Some might find it oppressive.
Thanks. Good to know of the reputation as a grind among peers. He wouldn't find it oppressive, just a continuation of HS which he may want to get away from.
But to add some perspective, Williams has won the Directors' Cup for success in D3 athletics in 21 of the 23 years that it has been awarded.
Wikipedia: The NACDA Learfield Directors' Cup is an award given annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities in the United States with the most success in collegiate athletics.
Wechson posted:@CollegebaseballInsights - or your site, which now that I'm looking at your handle will assume it is (duh..lol)
Wechson,
I will PM you. I'm being respectful to the protocols of this website.
Game7 - Thanks. They showed us the Cup, 2012 was the last year they did not win it.
In talking with locals at a restaurant, we were told of the Cup. Big deal to everyone around!
Appreciate the feedback.
fenwaysouth posted:...
My lasting memory of Williams was their lack of urgency in the recruiting process. I suspect that hasn't changed much as I helped a young man a few years ago with his college baseball recruitment (via HSBBWeb). He is an exceptionally bright and mature young man. He was recruited and offered by Williams in October. So, I don't think their timetable and sense of urgency has changed a whole lot.
Lack of urgency still seems to be a theme at Williams based on my 2020's experience and that of a couple of other 2020 parents I have heard from. My son is moving along in the recruiting process with other NESCAC schools that are just as academically demanding, but it has been a real challenge to get email responses or anything else from Williams. I don't mean that as a put down--it's a fantastic college. But for whatever reason, they seem to have a different philosophy than other, similar institutions.
Has anyone out there with a 2020 found Williams to be more forthcoming? Could just be my kid doesn't fit what they are looking for.
Great academics, beautiful campus and setting. Williamstown is *tiny*--even Middlebury seems to offer more restaurants and other amenities. By reputation, the school is known for hard academic workers who also are often athletes. Seems to be a tight-knit alumni community. The rivalry with Amherst is epic.
Definitely epic. Size doesn’t matter in this case. Someone I know quite well, and who has some current experience with the rivalry, says this:
“Yeah the Williams kids look like they get along, and yeah I think the coach is a good guy.”
Big help!
The baseball atmosphere for most of the NESCAC schools is really good and the coaches have a LOT to do with that. There are exceptions but not among the specific schools mentioned on this thread. I’d vouch for Wesleyan, too.
Texas1836 posted:game7 posted:Relative to the other NESCAC schools, Williams is known to be at the "grind" end of the spectrum of academic seriousness. For example, the percentage of students studying on a Saturday night. Prospective students should be aware of this. Some might find it oppressive.
Thanks. Good to know of the reputation as a grind among peers. He wouldn't find it oppressive, just a continuation of HS which he may want to get away from.
This may be true of all HA baseball players, though, not just Williams. We were bringing son back to the hotel after a late dinner at an away series and many players were studying in the breakfast area at 11pm on a Saturday night. Gotta keep up. At home, it may be slightly different 
So the lack of urgency has not changed. The HC is a notorious non recruiter; he does not communicate well during the recruiting process and has the assumption (maybe rightly so) that every kid who is looking there would go there over everywhere else. At one point it was my younger son's top school -- this was a few years ago. He already had several offers in hand, but it took 2 other NESCAC offers to push the HC into action.
He was in the dugout at HF when son did very well, and had lots of guys coming up to him. He in person invited son to his camp (that was not advertised, not on any website, and was of course the same exact time as Amherst and Middlebury camps that same September weekend). HC told son he needed another look and wanted him to see the campus. We almost did not go as he pulled his groin Labor Day weekend playing in a hockey tournament. There were 40 boys there, almost all rising seniors, almost all hoping for an offer from the parents with whom I remember speaking. It was a one day thing. Mine was looked at as a two way guy. I am sorry if this comes off as braggy but he was the best hitter and pitcher there. By far. First AB he lined one down the left field line (he is a lefty btw) for a double to score two runs. Second AB he had a double in the RCF wall. He pitched 2 innings though his arm was sore and struck out 5 of 6, with a ground out that he fielded for the other out. We had friends there with us, and we all knew he was getting an offer. HC put his arm around him at one point. Older son had two friends on the current team who texted similar news.
It still took over a week after that. Maybe even 2. We thought they went "dark" like other schools did during the June - October timeline.
But by then my son was concerned with the size of the school, the field itself, the slowness of communication, the weather and a few other social issues.
The field is a mile away, the furthest of the sports fields. It is nice enough but the stands at most HS stadiums are better, and given it is not on campus, do not expect many students to drop or pass by. Other NESCACs have built winterized batting cages, turf fields etc so likely this is on the agenda for Williams given their high endowment.
HC is married to one of the women coaches (maybe field hockey) and he is not going anywhere. He did seem like a good guy, but everyone agreed during our time that he was just not a good recruiter.
It is of course a fantastic school. Many kids prefer Williams over some of the Ivies -- one of the toughest schools in the country to get in of course. But you know this part.
PM me if you have any other questions, our best friends have sent 2 kids there and we have known several boys on the team.
