Everything Jason Williams, Daughter Mia, Florida & Texas Tech Coaches Said After HBP Softball Saga
Texas Tech clinched a spot in the Women’s College World Series with a 16-7 victory over Florida in Sunday’s Super Regional, but the result was overshadowed by the drama involving Red Raiders second baseman Mia Williams.
Williams, who is the daughter of former Gators basketball player Jason Williams, transferred to Texas Tech after previously playing for Florida.
Gators pitchers hit her with the first pitch of Friday’s game and Sunday’s game. She was hit five times in all, although Florida head coach Tim Walton said it was not intentional.
“It makes no sense to me at all,” Walton said of the overarching drama, per Andrew Abadie of the Gainesville Sun. “I have no idea where that came from. I don’t think that’s fair to the kids in both dugouts. I have no idea where that pot was being stirred. There’s never been a problem ever. Kids transfer all the time.”
Walton was eventually ejected for arguing balls and strikes, although Jason Williams believes there was another motivation in play.
“He got kicked out because he didn’t want to shake her hand,” he said.
Jason Williams also turned heads with his own actions in the crowd:
The former NBA player’s sentiment about Walton not wanting to shake hands was all the more notable since the teams didn’t shake hands after the series ended. Instead, the teams went back-and-forth expressing their displeasure.
“Maybe that was for the better with the anxiety of the series,” Walton said. “On TV, they were saying there might be a bench-clearing brawl. Never seen that in softball in my life. That would have been a first, so there you go, we’re just stirring it up again. I don’t understand. It makes no sense.”
When she wasn’t being hit, Williams made a major impact on the game going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and two runs scored.
“She had a great weekend,” Walton said. “She got a hole on the inside corner of the plate. You have to throw it there. If you throw it on the outer plate, it goes over the fence. Nobody was trying to hit her on purpose. I don’t understand the drama that was really uncalled for. I’m very disappointed on that, but that had nothing to do with the softball game.”
For her part, Williams said, “I don’t really pay attention to any of the things that happen off the field. I stay very far from social media. I’m not really that type, but mentally coming into this, I knew it was going to be a dog fight playing against my former team. They know me a little, and I know them. It was going to be a dog fight. Good battle. They did really good.”
Now she and the rest of the Red Raiders can focus on the Women’s College World Series, although her head coach had plenty of praise for her performance.
“With all the pressure on her and everything that’s been done to create as much as attention as you can—it’s a normal thing in this day and age for athletes to transfer, and we want to make a big deal out of it is uncalled for,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. “When they did pitch to her, she took the challenge and hit it out. She won every battle that was thrown in her way today.”
