A recent Russellville High School graduate and former Golden Tiger student-athlete announced he will be continuing his baseball career in the collegiate ranks last week.
Ty Willis, a standout performer for the RHS baseball team this past season, committed to the Northwest Shoals Community College baseball program, joining a long list of Golden Tigers who have been able to extend their playing days to the next level.
"This means a lot. I've grown up all my life playing baseball, and I just want to thank God for the opportunity to allow me to do this," Willis said. "I've been playing since I was four or five years old. My parents have taken me all over, playing travel ball, and I want to thank them for carrying me places and letting me do what I like to do. Going to play at the next level, it's what I've always wanted to do.
"I'd like to thank Coach (Jess) Smith and all the coaches at Russellville for helping me get to the point I'm at," he added.
Russellville head coach Jess Smith said Willis isn't just a good baseball player but a great person, too, and he deserves his opportunity at NWSCC.
"You have to put Ty up there as one of the best kids you can have the privilege of coaching," he said. "He's an outstanding person, an outstanding student, an outstanding teammate, and an outstanding player.
"Ty and his family, the Willises, are phenomenal people. I'm not only excited for Ty but for Ty's family, as well.
"I'm going to miss him, but I'm so proud that he's getting the opportunity to continue what he started here at Russellville," Smith added. "I think he's going to excel—no doubt—and I think he's going to make Northwest Shoals a better program because of the type of student, person, and teammate he is."
Serving as more of a role player on the team for much of his high school career, Willis really came on and made his mark in his senior campaign at RHS. Willis played at multiple positions during his final season and was one of the most productive members of the team with a bat in his hands. He ended the year with a .339 batting average, a .417 on-base percentage, 19 RBIs, 21 runs scored, and with eight doubles and a home run to his credit.
Willis attributed his success to his work ethic, and his high school head coach couldn't help but concur:
"Throughout his career I'd say that Ty has been, steadily and most consistently, one of the hardest working players in our program," Smith said. "He showed up every day with the intent to get better and be a great teammate and be a leader by example.
"In his junior year...it was one of those years where we were constantly changing things around and he was in and out of the lineup. A lot of times that can deter some kids from working as hard and can feel like their work is for nothing—but not Ty," he added. "I think getting a taste of it his junior year really motivated Ty to become the best version of himself his senior season.
"He was second on our team in every offensive category this year and led us in nearly every category for a majority of our season. That, to me, speaks volumes for who Ty Willis is and the effort and hard work he's put forward."
It's this work ethic, Willis said, that drove him at RHS, helped get him to NWSCC, and he has no intention of tapping on the brakes now.
"(I learned) to never stop working," Willis said. "Going to Northwest I feel like it could be easy to stop working as hard, but I've always been taught to keep working and keep putting in the work because it'll eventually take you somewhere. Never stop the grind."
Soft-spoken and more of a leader by example, Smith said no one should be deceived by Willis's outside demeanor. Willis loves to win, Smith said, and it's this competitiveness and "humble confidence" that will aid him as he takes on opponents at the junior college level.
"Don't be fooled by his smile and mild-mannered attitude," he added. "There's a fierce competitor in there that loves to win and is willing to do whatever it takes to win for his team," Smith said.
"I've hardly ever been able to get more out of him than the usual 'yes, sir' or 'no, sir,' but one time I asked Ty what gave him his go, so to speak, at the plate—what gave him his confidence? His response was, 'Knowing that that guy out on the mound is supposed to be better than me,'" he recalled. "I think it's that competitiveness that's going to propel him to new heights.
"That type of mentality going into college baseball is really important, especially now. With the landscape of college baseball being what it is right now with NIL and the transfer portal, junior college baseball is some of the highest level baseball in the country," Smith added. "Northwest Shoals is one of the best junior college baseball programs in our state, let alone the southeast region, and he's going to be competing against high-caliber baseball players. I think Ty's silent confidence...is why he's going to reach new heights and excel sooner rather than later."
Willis, who plans to pursue engineering academically, said he's eager to join NWSCC and the Patriots program and all that entails.
"I'm just looking forward to meeting new people and going to work with a new team and trying to go win some baseball games," he said.
There will be a signing ceremony for Ty Willis in the Club Room atop the Russellville Field House at 3 P.M. on Thursday, June 5.
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