Hillside standout Williams throws curve: Baseball is favorite sport

Williams, also a standout running back, was the DAC-VII offensive player of the year on the gridiron

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – Jimmyll Williams dazzled on the football field for Durham Hillside in a season that ranks as one of the best in school history.

Yet Williams is far from one-dimensional and perhaps to the surprise of some observers, he calls another sport his favorite.

“I still prefer baseball over football just because I just grew up with that,” Williams said. “A lot of people are really shocked. It’s because I started playing baseball at the age of 3. I love baseball more because it’s a sport that requires you to think a lot more. Baseball you have to know the game, having a very high IQ and just know what you’re doing on the field.”

Jimmyll Williams has excelled at multiple sports for Durham Hillside. He’s a pitcher and shortstop for the baseball team after a special football season / Bob Sutton photo

Williams has been a pitcher and shortstop on the diamond for the Hornets.

That football season, though, won’t soon be forgotten. Hillside produced an undefeated regular season and three victories in the Class 4-A state playoffs. That was the best football season for the Hornets in more than a decade.

For his part, Williams racked up 2,397 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns. The running back was selected as the DAC-VII Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.

His football achievements helped him gain recruiting interest, though mostly as a preferred walk-on. He said he’ll likely attend either Campbell or Virginia State. There could be more.

“I would love to play baseball at either of those schools,” Williams said.

While the recruiting wasn’t widespread, he said he’s excited about what’s next.

“I’m still blessed to get the preferred walk-on,” he said. “It gives me more of a reason to work harder and earn that scholarship. It’s still an honor to play football at the next level.”

Williams, who checks in at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, arrived for another baseball season with the kind of attitude that endeared him to the coaching staff.

Hillside baseball coach Malcoum Green said even though the Hornets struggled this spring, there was a bright side because of Williams.

“He’s always full of energy and full of life,” Green said. “The thing we love about him this year, he’s having a lot of fun with it. He’s taking this young core and taking them under his wing and developing them.”

The leadership aspect has been connected to Williams for quite some time across multiple sports.

That personality is bound to be an attraction. Prior to a recent road game against Northern Durham, numerous fans from the home team sought out Williams to share a moment and express their best wishes.

Williams said he appreciates the support and he has tried to form good relationships with fans from various teams. Often, he had been on the same teams as players from other schools during youth leagues.

“Jimmyll is the cream of the crop anyway,” Green said. “He’s a natural leader so everybody gravitates to him. He’s the one everybody knows. It’s not like he tries to force it. It’s a natural skillset for him.”

From the mound, Williams has stumped some of the top teams on Hillside’s schedule. His fastball clocks about 86-87 mph.

He also has speed on the oval. He’s participating in track and field this year and would like to qualify for postseason events. He enters the 100 and 200 meters and 400 relay and 1,600 relay.

“In high school, I kind of leaned away from it because I was focused on football and baseball a lot more,” Williams said of track and field.

This spring, he often attends track practice for speed work and then goes to baseball practice.

“I’m used to having a busy schedule, it’s something I’ve done all my life,” he said. “Balancing from sport to sport, or school to sports.”

His travel baseball exploits took him to Arizona with a California-based team. He usually played as a third baseman or outfielder on that level.

So baseball occupied a lot of his time – and his thoughts.

“When I lift weights, I don’t just lift for football,” he said.

Williams turns 18 years old in September, by which time he should be a college student.

He has been picked for July’s North Carolina East-West All-Star Game in football in Greensboro. He said his availability for that game will depend on his college destination and if he’s already on campus.

Either way, there doesn’t figure to be much downtime even when Williams is finished competing for Hillside.

“I want to continue to strive to be better,” he said.