OMAHA, Neb. — In what was probably his last plate appearance as an Arizona Wildcat — with his team trailing by nine runs with two outs in the ninth inning — Donta’ Williams hit a screaming line drive to the second baseman.
It was exactly the type of quality at-bat Williams had delivered time after time during his four-year career.
That the liner landed in the glove of Stanford second baseman Tim Tawa wasn’t Williams’ fault. Nor was the result of his previous at-bat — a line-drive out to the shortstop.
Williams’ 48-game on-base streak, his 2021 season and, most likely, his UA career ended in cruel fashion Monday. Stanford defeated Arizona 14-5 at TD Ameritrade Park to eliminate the Wildcats from the College World Series.
Asked afterward what he’d remember most about this team, Williams said:
“Everything. The locker room, the weight room, the competitiveness, the music in the hitting facility. Every day they just come out and give everything that they have, and that’s why we’re in this situation.
“I’m blessed to be part of this team. I’m very grateful (for) the group of men that we have and what they developed to become. ... I’m just thankful for everything.”
Williams, a fourth-year junior who’s eligible for the MLB draft, visited Arizona in the summer of 2015, shortly after Jay Johnson had been hired as coach. They had known each other for years. Williams committed and became part of the foundation of the program Johnson would build.
“It’s well documented how I feel about him,” Johnson said. “If there’s a recruit, a young player at home (who) wants to play baseball at Arizona, look at No. 23. As a person, as a player, they don’t make them like that very often.
“I would assume somebody’s going to give him a professional opportunity. If people are paying attention, they should.
“He’s a special one. And one we’re going to miss. His on-the-field contribution was amazing. ... The only thing he’s better at than playing baseball is he’s a first-class and quality human being.”
Williams became one of Arizona’s leaders as his career progressed and the roster composition changed. His all-out effort in all phases set a daily example for his teammates.
“We’ve got 30 leaders on this team,” Williams said. “I don’t see myself as just the individual guy. There’s 30 other guys in that locker room that are bleeding right now. Every one of them are leaders in my eyes.
“There’s going to be a ton of guys that are going to step up to the plate and do what they can do to carry the team, keep pushing the team and just keep the train going.”
Williams finished 0 for 5 Monday. He ended the 2021 season with a .342/.481/.538 slash line and a team-high 81 runs.
Arizona’s Nik McClaughry catches a pop fly in the eighth inning Monday. The Wildcats lost 14-5 to Pac-12 rival Stanford to finish the season 45-18.
‘All of them deserve it’
Once the game got out of hand, Johnson tried to make sure every Wildcat on the active roster appeared in the CWS. He fell one player short: Kyson Donahue was in the on-deck circle when Williams lined out to end the game.
“All of them deserve it,” Johnson said. “I love every one of these guys. This is a special team. Every single one of them, the 27 that are here, a lot of guys that aren’t here, they’ve poured everything they had into our program.
“Going back to the last 15 games of 2019, the start of the COVID year and this year, they’ve been incredibly successful. It speaks to the quality of players that we have and the quality of people that they are and will continue to be.
“It wasn’t my plan going in today to (say), ‘Hey, let’s make sure we get everybody in the game.’ Unfortunately, the game turned out to be that way.”
The final out by the UA pitching staff was recorded by third-year sophomore George Arias Jr. Arias, who graduated from Tucson High School, was making just his third appearance of the season. The right-hander missed the 2020 season because of injury.
Arias struck out Brock Jones, who had a team-high five RBIs, including a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Arias was greeted warmly by his teammates as he walked to the dugout.
“Seeing CD (freshman outfielder Chase Davis) get an at-bat, seeing George get out there ... I’m just proud of them,” Williams said. “I can’t wait to see what they do.”
No lead is safe
Stanford led 10-0 entering the bottom of the fourth. By the end of the sixth, the lead had been cut in half.
Cardinal David Esquer implored his players to keep hitting, and Stanford was able to register the knockout blow with four runs in the seventh.
“It’s probably the best offensive team in the country. That’s what we were facing today,” Esquer said of Arizona. “If you score some runs, you’ve got to keep tacking on runs.
“At 10-0, I don’t think that was a completely comfortable lead for us. We kept telling the guys in the dugout not to let our guard down, because we’re facing a team that can strike at will.”
Inside pitch
UA freshman catcher Daniel Susac went 4 for 8 in the CWS with four RBIs. In four games against Stanford, Susac was 10 for 19 with four doubles, a home run and nine RBIs.
The last time Arizona failed to win a game at the CWS came in 1985, and those Wildcats followed a similar pattern. The UA lost a one-run game to Texas before being eliminated 9-2 by Stanford.
Stanford has never gone home without winning at least one game in Omaha and is the only school to make more than five CWS appearances without going 0-2 at least once.
Stanford’s 20 hits were the third most by a UA opponent this season. The Wildcats allowed 23 hits against Washington State on April 16 and 21 against Oregon on March 28.
Arizona finished the season 11-13 when scoring five or fewer runs. The Wildcats were 34-5 when scoring six or more.
