Jett Williams is one of the top prep prospects for the 2022 MLB Draft. The senior from Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas is committed to Mississippi State. He plays both shortstop and the outfield, giving any team who may want him, options as far as where he plays. The 5’8″, 185 pound 18-year old has a lot of strong tools and is coming off a junior season in which he hit .347 with five homers and just three strikeouts.
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Offseason Preparation
Alex Kielar: What are you doing to prepare for your senior year at Rockwell-Heath?
Jett Williams: Just kind of preparing to try and win another state championship. I did a lot of work this offseason. Just going out there and having fun, and just kind of seeing what happens. Just basically trying to win another state championship.
AK: What are some of the things personally, you’ve been working on over the offseason?
JW: Just trying to gain a little bit more weight, get stronger, faster, kind of the things you need to do. Trying to just be more consistent, like with the bat and stuff, kind of get more power into me. Just did a lot of strength and conditioning this offseason.
AK: What was it like trying to come back from the shoulder injuries that you have dealt with over the last year or two?
JW: It was a learning experience. Kind of last April, when I got hurt, I didn’t get to play in our playoffs for the first five rounds. I came back in round five, the second game against Rockwall and then I played the rest of the playoffs. Then we ended up winning state but it was a good learning experience. Just kind of what I had to do to prepare, like for a game. With my shoulder and stuff, arm care, kind of making sure you take care of your arm and not just go out there. Kind of just getting a good warm-up going. I also just became a better teammate and just a better player overall. But I think it was probably the biggest learning experience.
AK: Overall, what did it feel like when you guys won the championship? What was that feeling like?
JW: Oh, it was spectacular. It’s kind of hard to describe. Just because of the excitement, because of all the work you put in that whole season. Kind of going through the ups and downs. I feel like we knew we were gonna win it all when we had nine elimination games, and we outscored our opponent like 73 to nine in those nine elimination games. But I feel like we all just came together at the right time, got hot, and we knew we couldn’t be beat.
Landing on Mississippi State
AK: Just going through your options for colleges, how did you ultimately come to the decision to go to Mississippi State?
JW: So we were actually in the playoffs still when our coaches got fired. So our coaching staff got fired, and they were like the first ones to reach out to coach Harvey. So they reached out to coach Harvey, I think it was maybe around two or three. I walk into practice one day and he’s like, ‘Hey, Mississippi State just called, would you go there?’ I was like, ‘I mean, yeah, I guess I could like consider, I mean, I don’t know because like, I’m going to [Texas] A&M still right now.’ So then I kind of de-committed and everything [from A&M]. They’re the first ones to reach out, but I went off on all my visits. I went to Mississippi State, Arkansas, Arizona State, and Tennessee. They’re all great programs, and it was kind of hard.
My top two are probably Tennessee and Mississippi State. It was hard to turn down Coach Vitello, but I chose Mississippi State because of the coaching staff. Kind of just the way they run their program. I feel like they’re hard on you during baseball [season] and want you to be the best baseball player. But also outside of baseball, they still care about you outside of baseball. I feel like that goes a long way too and not just caring about a player just because you want to win. I feel like they actually care outside of baseball.
If you ever needed anything, you could call them if your parents aren’t there. My parents will be in Texas and I’ll be at Mississippi State and I feel like I call them and they would definitely be there for me. They are not scared to start freshmen, and their shortstop last year was a freshman. He kind of went through his ups and downs throughout his freshman season. But they still stuck with him and kept them in there. Just battled with him, I think that went a long way.
AK: What was your favorite thing about the visit?
JW: Kind of just the atmosphere. That atmosphere was pretty spectacular, just kind of the fan base. You aren’t really getting anything like it. So I think that was probably the biggest thing too. Then all the players just welcomed me with open arms and everything.
AK: What was it like seeing them win the championship last year?
JW: It was pretty awesome. So they came to Texas to Globe Life last year. I was still going to A&M at the time, but I watched every single one of their games at Globe Life, and I started kind of watching them more. Then I saw Rowdey Jordan and Tanner Allen playing, and I really liked Rowdey. So I feel like I started watching him more and stuff. So it was pretty awesome.
AK: Just looking at the draft, is there any chance that you might sign with the team? Or are you just committed to Mississippi State, and that’s it?
JW: I feel like if the situation is right in the draft. I feel like, I want to go out of high school. I mean, if the situation is right, I’ll go and if it’s not I’ll go to school. But I feel like I’m ready to go out of high school to the draft.
Outside of Baseball
AK: Outside of baseball, what are some of your hobbies that you like?
JW: I mean, I hang out with friends, go hunting and stuff. My buddy’s going to Tech, and he has kind of like a ranch. We go hunt down there. It’s in South Texas, about three hours away from us.
AK: Have you gotten anything big lately?
JW: In the fall, we did think I got like an eight-point. There were two 13 points out there. But they were in the high fence and waiting. They just kept running around.
AK: Who’s somebody that you kind of just looked up to your whole life that you want to try to be like?
JW: Probably my brothers. I have my oldest sister, she’s 27. I have my oldest brother, he’s 26. Then, my middle brother, he’s 22. My oldest brother played baseball at UTA. It’s about an hour away from us in Texas. Then my other brother plays lacrosse at Stony Brook right now, in New York. He has his last year of lacrosse this year. But I feel like kind of just growing up with them, and all of us being in sports. I mean, I always looked up to my oldest brother since he played baseball too.
But I feel like they just kind of pushed me to be the best version of myself. We’re always being competitive because they don’t want to lose to the younger brother. Then, I don’t want to lose to them. If I beat them, like I can talk crap to them and stuff. But I mean, they definitely pushed me to be the person I am today.
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Main Image Credit: Baseball Prospect Journal
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