Chase Williams is betting on himself.
The former Stanhope Elmore baseball player Chase Williams was selected in the 2024 MLB Draft on Tuesday afternoon. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 20th round as the 580th overall pick.
Despite the life changing moment, Williams is turning down the opportunity to play professional baseball and is going to head to Tallahassee to play for Florida State.
“It’s really one of those surreal moments,” Williams said of getting drafted. “You get your name called on the TV and you have a bit of silence at first and then you’re just happy and filled with excitement.”
Williams and his mother, Tonya Williams, were actually riding out looking for some lunch on Tuesday when Williams got the phone call. He was called by a Dodgers scout who just congratulated him on getting picked.
“We were in shock for a couple of minutes,” Williams said. “Then we realized what happened and how big the moment was. It’s a blessing.”
The Dodgers have one of the most storied organizations in the MLB, but Williams grew up cheering for another team with quite a lot of World Series victories.
Williams is a fan of the 27-time champion New York Yankees.
“I’m still going to be repping the pinstripes,” Williams said.
Williams had a stellar preps career at Stanhope Elmore. He earned multiple All-County honors as he hit 40 extra base hits and stole 47 bases in his final two seasons.
He spent this past spring in the junior college ranks.
As a freshman at Northwest Florida State College, Williams helped lead the Raiders to a JUCO Division I championship appearance. In 198 at-bats, the switch-hitting outfielder finished with a .379 batting average and a .473 on base percentage. He recorded 29 stolen bases in 36 attempts while scoring 71 runs in 55 total games.
He walked 31 times and hit two home runs, eight doubles, one triple and 32 RBIs.
With just two errors and a .979 fielding percentage, he was named a Florida College System Activities Association Gold Glove winner.
He also earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
