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04/20/2022 12:00 AMWhen Carter Williams reflects on what got him to fall in love with the sport of baseball, he thinks back fondly on the memories that he shared with his father Todd as a child. Now a junior in high school, Carter is surely making his father proud as he plays shortstop for the Guilford baseball team.
Carter started playing baseball in Guilford Little League when he was five. The fact that his father loves the game so much played a big role in Carter’s own passion for baseball.
“There are many things that got me into baseball. My dad is an avid baseball fan. Ever since I was young, we would watch games together,” says Carter. “He would buy me baseball cards and would teach me about all the players. When I first started playing competitive travel baseball, he was always right by my side, mentoring me as a father and as a coach.”
Carter is hitting .375 with a .469 on-base-percentage to go with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 9 runs scored, and 10 RBI for the Guilford baseball team this season. Carter feels confident that the Grizzlies have what it takes to make a playoff push.
“My expectations for this year are high. Although we are 3-4, it feels like we should be 5-2,” Carter says. “Every game we play, I feel as if we can win and, because of that, I think we can make a run at SCCs and states. This is probably the first team I have been on where I know that every player in the lineup has the ability to get a hit or have a quality at-bat.”
Head Coach Nick Merullo describes Carter as one of the most dangerous hitters in the Grizzlies’ lineup. Merullo feels that the experience Carter gained as a sophomore is proving invaluable for the junior during the 2022 season.
“His confidence at the plate has improved significantly over the past year. Carter has very strong baseball instincts, and it is clear that he is the son of a coach, as he is a heads-up baseball player,” says Merullo. “He’s a great kid, a hard worker, and someone who represents our baseball program proudly. It will be a lot of fun to continue to work with him and watch him grow into the player he is capable of becoming.”
Carter says that it’s been a pleasure playing under Merullo’s wing. While this is only Merullo’s second year as head coach, Carter says that everyone on Guilford’s roster has all the respect in the world for the Grizzlies’ skipper.
“I love playing for Coach Merullo. I know my teammates would say the same thing,” Carter says. “We all respect him just as he respects each of us, and he always puts asking us to be quality students and good people over baseball. I always feel like I can ask him any question about baseball or life.”
One of Carter’s favorite aspects of baseball is when he gets to square off with a pitcher in the batter’s box. Carter says that there is no better feeling than going 1-on-1 against an opposing hurler, because there is only winner in any given plate appearance.
“I am the only player out there for my team and it is all up to me,” says Carter. “It can be a lot of pressure, and it can be humbling at times, but there is no better feeling than getting a clean base hit and your teammates getting excited for you.”
Carter was dedicated to improving his game following his sophomore season, and now he’s seeing the results of that effort on the field this spring. While many players work on the physical aspects of their craft, Carter spent a lot of time strengthening his mental game in preparation for his junior campaign.
“Lots of players like to focus on hitting mechanics and what they are doing wrong physically. Personally, I work on my mental side of the game,” Carter says. “I believe baseball is a mental game, and all you really have to do is have confidence. I realize that if I am nervous at the plate or I am intimidated by the pitcher, there is no shot at getting a hit. All I really have to do is work on hitting the ball right back at the pitcher and have the confidence to succeed.”