FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern Slugger Derek Williams is headed back to the Midwest after signing his National Letter of Intent with the Wichita State Shockers on Monday.
Williams made the most of his lone season in Fort Myers, hitting .322 with 18 doubles and 16 home runs while breaking the program's single season RBI record with 65. Williams was a 1st Team All-Southern Conference selection and was a member of the FCSAA All-State 2nd Team as a sophomore in 2023. He put together a number of memorable stretches for the Bucs this season, but none more than a late February tirade that saw him hit .625 and slug 1.313 in four contests, recording multiple hits in each game while driving in 14 on the week to earn both FCSAA State and NJCAA National Player of the Week. The National Player of the Week honors made him one of just two FSW players in program history to earn that distinction. In early February, Williams had another game for the record books as he went a perfect 3-3 with a double, two home runs, and a program record nine RBIs in FSW's 16-1 blowout win over eventual National Runner-Up Wabash Valley in the Perfect Game Juco Classic in Panama City Beach.
Williams heads from the Sunshine State to the Sunflower State to play for a storied Wichita State program next season. The Shockers were 30-25 in 2023 and went 13-10 in American Athletic Conference action. A proud program, WSU has appeared in the College World Series seven times, winning the Championship in 1989. Williams will look to help the Shockers get back to Omaha, where they haven't been since the 1996 campaign.
Williams is the sixth FSW sophomore to sign at the Division I level this season and the eighth overall to sign to move onto the four year level, joining AJ Shaver (Troy), Tyler Kennedy (Texas State), Marty Gair & Lucas Hartman (Florida Gulf Coast), Colin Brodeur (Bryant), Kelan Hoover (Wingate), and Yariel Diaz (Middle Georgia State).