Florida State baseball outfielder Chase Williams has made a ton of spectacular plays this year, especially during the postseason.
His blazing speed speaks for itself, whether he is on base or making jaw-dropping catches in left field. The only thing the sophomore was missing was a home run.
Williams finally knocked one out of the park in FSU’s 6-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman in the Tallahassee Regional opener on Friday. It was one of the three homers the Seminoles made on day one of the NCAA tournament.
First career home run for Chase Williams!! 💥
📺 @accnetworkpic.twitter.com/zTSSzxka1F
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) May 30, 2025
Williams admitted to having butterflies when he homered for the Seminoles. He finished the day with two hits, including a homer and an RBI. He also made it abundantly clear that home runs are not his game.
“I’m not a homerun hitter. My game is gap to gap,” Williams said.
” I’ve hit a couple of home runs now, and it felt good, but in my mind, it was just another hit, helping the team. I’m a big team guy. Whatever I can do to help the team, that’s what I want to do.”
Along with his two-run homer, Williams has a batting average of .354 with 35 total hits and 19 RBI. He also leads the team with 15 stolen bases. Williams said after the game that he wanted to improve on making smart decisions, especially when he is on home base.
“We want to be aggressive, but we want to be smart on the bases, so that’s what I’m trying to work on now, just being smart and aggressive,” Williams said.
FSU baseball vs. Mississippi State in NCAA tournament
Chase Williams revisits his leaping catch during ACC tournament
Williams has made some memorable catches this month alone, including a vertical catch he made during ACC semifinals against North Carolina in the third inning.
The leaping catch went viral when a man had the best seat in the house inside the scoreboard when he witnessed Williams make the highlighted play in front of him. Williams spoke about that moment and is hoping to track down the person who was behind when he made the vertical catch.
“That was nice,” Williams said.
“I didn’t even know he was back there until I looked back and saw someone looking through the scoreboard, but yeah, I’m trying to get in contact with them and reach out to tell him thank you. I want to see if I can send him some stuff. It’s a nice picture. “
Air Chase
M-3, FSU 0, UNC 0 pic.twitter.com/oeJkHm64Ps
— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) May 24, 2025
Williams’ athletic abilities have been showcased at the national level, with ESPN highlighting him on its Top-10 plays on May 16 against UNC.
This was No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10. One of the best catches I’ve ever seen in my life. Chase Williams does things, only Chase Williams can do.pic.twitter.com/HO1cJkh46S
— Ariya Massoudi (@AriyaMassoudi) May 16, 2025
This was after Williams sprinted down to make a catch of a foul ball in left field. Williams has a 1.000 fielding percentage, 36 putouts on 37 chances.
How to watch FSU baseball vs. Mississippi State in Tallahassee Regional
Date: Saturday, May 31Time: 6 p.m.Where: Dick Howswer Stadium, TallahasseeTV/Stream: ESPN2, ESPN+, FUBO TV (Free trial)
CWSÂ Tallahassee Regional Schedule
Saturday, May 31
Game 3:Â Bethune-Cookman vs. Northeastern 1 p.m.Game 4:Â Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 1
Game 5:Â Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 12 p.m.Game 6, Regional title:Â Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 2 (If needed)
Game 7 Regional title: Game 6 rematch, TBD
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FSU baseball’s Chase Williams feel about his hitting his first home run
