After accepting the head coaching position for the ABAC Stallion baseball team in August, Blake Williams has been impressed with what he has seen in his short time on the job.
"It's a great school and I see that in a lot of different ways," he said. "It's an exciting time to be at ABAC with the move to the NAIA and the Southern States Conference. And I've really enjoyed getting to know our players."
Williams spent the last 13 years as the head coach of the Andrew College Tigers, a former rival of ABAC's in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. During that time, he earned 307 wins and won league championships in 2021 and 2023. His 2023 team also won the NJCAA Appalachian District title and competed in the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
A native of Oconee County, Williams began his coaching career at Emanuel College where he was an assistant for two years. He served two more years as an assistant coach at Andrew College before his promotion to head coach.
"Blake brings a lot of veteran leadership to ABAC," said Athletic Director Charles Wimberly. "He's a proven winner and he has contacts throughout the state and the country. As a coach and as a person, he'll be a great fit here and help our student-athletes be the best they can possibly be."
Williams said the Stallions return a talented nucleus of players but will still be young compared to most schools in the SSAC.
"We lost a good bit of pitching so we'll need some guys to step up," he said. "Obviously, moving from the junior college division to the NAIA, we don't have any seniors so we won't be as experienced as most of the other teams in the league. But I like our group and we're going to get after it.
"There are some good, solid programs in this league. As a coach, I wouldn't want it any other way," he added. "It's going to be fun, and I can't wait to get started. My job is to get every ounce out of ability out of our players and get them to compete at the highest level."