By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Les Williams isn’t a stranger to Joe Becker Stadium.
He’s been here twice as a player for Canadian teams.
Williams, from Toronto, Ontario, played last summer for Canada’s junior national team for an exhibition series with Team USA and Chinese Taipei.
“I remember diving out in right field and running into the fence,” Williams said. “That was a most memorable moment, pretty exciting. Right field is a little tricky sometime, but overall it’s a nice park. There is a lot of history here.”
When he was 16, Williams and his Team Ontario teammates came to Joplin for a tournament.
“I’ve been traveling and playing ever since I was 14 years old,” Williams said. “Baseball has become more competitive in Canada. You see Canadians coming up in the big leagues ... it opens up more eyes for young Canadian baseball players, knowing they may have a possibility of playing pro ball one day. I guess it motivates us a lot more.”
Canada’s team has qualified for the Junior World Championships the last five years. Williams played on the team that finished third — one spot behind the Team USA — two years ago in Cuba.
On his third trip to Joplin, Williams finds himself playing for the home team. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-handed pitcher is a member of the Joplin Slashers.
“This means a lot to me,” Williams said. “This is my first summer league play, I’m draft-eligible in two years. This is like another big stepping stone. Summer ball is really competitive in the Jayhawk League. The top four teams out here always finish in the top 10 in the (NBC) World Series. It’s a pretty competitive team. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Slashers’ 20-11 victory over Hays on Saturday night marked Williams’ first start. Thanks to an eight-run first inning and nine-run second, Williams found himself in the unusual position of pitching with a comfortable lead.
“It never really happens,” Williams said. “You go out and pitch to batters, know the chances are they are not going to put up eight or nine. You try to make them make contact and let the defense work a little bit. It’s good to pitch like that though. It’s good for our side.”
He allowed six hits and five runs, struck out four batters and walked two. But he was replaced after the fourth inning, one inning shy of qualifying for the win.
“My pitch count was up a little bit,” Williams said. “It was my first time out in three weeks. I was up around 80 pitches.”
“He throws 88 to 91 (mph), and he throws a heavy ball,” Slashers head coach Denny Vilela said. “It’s almost like hitting a sandbag.
“Mark Rains was his host family when he was here earlier, and Les told him he would like to come back.”
Williams completed his freshman year this spring at Northeastern College in Boston. He had nine starts and 15 total appearances, going 1-5 with a 7.14 earned run average. He struck out 49 batters and walked 21 in 58 innings and earned one save. In his collegiate debut, he fanned five in 5 1/3 innings against Villanova.
In limited offensive duty, he batted .167 with one home run and two runs batted in.
Northeastern, a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference, was 25-26-1 this season.
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Another trip to Joplin
Toronto’s Williams back at Joe Becker Stadium, this time with the Slashers
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