Current Athlete Of The Week: Riley Williams

The saying has always been that you can’t script sports and the stories it produces. On Monday, Nantucket's senior ace Riley Williams stepped onto the mound he has situated himself upon thousands of times for the final time as a Nantucket Whaler.

Williams had the opportunity to pitch against Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket’s biggest and most historic rival, in front of the team’s largest crowd of the season on Memorial Day. No one expected what would happen next.

Williams, who will be taking his talents to Mercy College’s Div. II program next year, didn’t just win his final start against Nantucket’s biggest rival. He dominated them in every way by pitching a no-hitter and striking out 16 batters to cap off his high school career. It was a performance that will undoubtedly go down as one of the great Nantucket High School sports moments in recent memory.

“In any sport, the chance to play the Vineyard always added extra pressure to the game,” Williams said. “The stakes were risen. You didn’t want to have to admit to your fellow classmates or family members that you lost to the Vineyard. Over the years, I’ve learned that I strive in circumstances where the pressure is on.”

Williams’ ability to piece together this masterful performance made him a no-brainer to be dubbed as this week’s Current Athlete Of The Week.

It wasn’t just on the mound where Williams made his mark. He scored the game’s first run in the first inning following an RBI double by junior catcher Argelis Nunez to give Nantucket a 1-0 lead.

That run would be all Nantucket mustered up until the sixth inning. It left Williams no room for error but on this day, that wasn’t a problem. In the third inning, he threw an immaculate inning. Nine pitches, three strikeouts. It was at that moment where it felt like something special was brewing. A one run lead felt like a 10 run lead.

But Williams speaks for every pitcher when he says no pitcher will ever complain about run support. He led the sixth inning off with a line drive to left-center field. It looked like a single, but Williams turned on the jets and dashed to second base. As everyone on the Whaler bench gasped and urged him to turn back, Williams only ran faster. He slid into second base safely, popped up, and gestured to his players to add some insurance runs and build off the momentum he just created.

“I would have been very anxious to go into the last inning of a no-hitter with only a one run lead,” Williams admitted. “My teammates had my back all day so I was just happy to get an extended lead going into the seventh.”

The Whalers fed off of Williams lead-off double and scored three times to give him a 4-0 cushion going into the final inning.

Williams and Nunez have developed a strong bond on and off the field. Both players called the entire no-hitter by themselves and head coach Jack Pearson said he didn’t tell Williams or Nunez what pitch to throw once. Williams said his comfort on the mound with Nunez behind the plate played a huge role in his success not just this game, but throughout the season.

“Nunez has been great all year,” Williams said. “He has been clutch behind the plate and with the bat. Anytime I throw one in the dirt I am convinced that he will block it. I can’t say enough about him. He’s just a solid player and an amazing person to have on the team.”

Williams was unable to pitch for a period of time during the season due to an injury, but found other ways to contribute in the field. He played shortstop, third base, and even some first base. He did whatever his coaches asked of him or what he felt like he needed to do in order to help the team.

“I think the biggest area I’ve improved on this year is being a leader,” Williams said. “My coaches have always respected my opinion. This year I was able to address the team in times of need and coach some of the younger kids who might have needed it during practice.”

When Williams was able to return to the mound, he didn’t skip a beat. He has learned what kind of pitcher he is and what makes him as good as he is. That, combined with his chemistry with Nunez, makes him tough to beat.

Williams throws a fastball that sits around 85-86 mph, a curveball between 72-73 mph, and a 75 mph changeup.

His three-pitch repertoire is impressive, but his ability to understand how to use it is even more special.

“I throw everything off my fastball,” Williams said. “It’s definitely my best pitch. I also throw that changeup and curveball but at this age, I can usually just blow the fastball by the batters.”

Nantucket was 1-9 through their first 10 games. A season that looked bleak suddenly became interesting after Nantucket ripped off five wins in a row to improve to 6-9 with three games remaining. If they could win the final three games, they would have automatically qualified for the state tournament.

The odds were stacked against them however with road matchups against St. John Paul II and Mashpee looming. Both teams beat Nantucket via the mercy rule earlier in the year. But the Whalers nearly beat both teams despite losing both games 10-9 and 11-8 respectively. A loss is a loss, but both performances spoke to how far this Nantucket team has come.

It was the leadership of players such as Williams that helped the Whalers improve dramatically. With one game left and no opportunity to make the tournament, Nantucket could have checked out. But not with Williams on the mound. He wanted to end this season with a bang.

“This has been a special year,” he said. “We struggled early on but once we gained some confidence we went on a tear. The five game winning streak was crazy to be a part of. It’s too bad we didn’t pull it together earlier on in the year. We could have made a run in the playoffs.”