by Davis Dupree, Sun Devil Summer Communications Student Intern#Pirates Trevor Williams, last 5 starts:
— Joe Block (@joe_block) August 12, 2018
28 innings
2 runs
0.64 ERA
For Trevor Williams, there is more to life than baseball.
Of course, the Pittsburgh Pirates second-year pitcher loves his job and hopes to play for as long as he can.
But the former Arizona State Sun Devil knows that one day, his career will come to an end and the next phase of his life will begin. And it will be much longer than the baseball phase. That realization, among other factors, led him to a decision that groups him with very few active major league players.
It's the exclusive group of big-leaguers who have earned a college degree. In a study two years ago, only four percent could make that claim.
And Williams is proud to be part of the minority.
Due to the popularity of drafting players out of high school, or when they become draft eligible in college (following three college seasons or turning 21), a degree is something most players never achieve.
But for Williams, academics were a priority.
"I owed it to my family to complete my degree," Williams said. "They were all encouraging me; they've been in my corner since I got drafted. It was always a priority of mine to finish school and not just put it on the back burner."
Williams arrived in Tempe, from his hometown of San Diego, with aspirations of playing big league baseball. That dream came true when he was drafted 44th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2013 MLB Draft, following a stellar season on the mound for the Sun Devils (12-2 with a 2.05 ERA).
Knowing he might leave early to play pro ball, Williams worked extra hard in the classroom. By the end of his sophomore year, his last year in Tempe, he had completed nearly all of the requirements to graduate with a degree in history.
"Trevor was awesome," said Patrice Feulner, the former academic coach for Williams and Sun Devil baseball who then became a senior associate athletic director at Iowa State. "He came in the door and took care of business. Academics was always important to him. He was just a guy I never had to worry about and he was always on top of his stuff and valued education. He was obviously extremely talented athletically, but academics were still extremely important to him."
The following fall, after saying good bye to ASU, he took a few online courses as he began his pro career. Before he knew it, all he had left to complete were a few Spanish classes.
After a few years of not taking classes as he focused on his pitching career and climbed through the minor league ranks, he resumed his Spanish courses and finished them through the Rio Salado online program. This past spring, he entered an exclusive MLB club when he received his degree.
The hard work, the focus and the determination had paid off.
"It's a good feeling," Williams said. "Every offseason I said I need to start my last class and finally I followed through and did it. It's cool. I am proud to be a Sun Devil and proud to be a college graduate."
"I have such an appreciation for players who not only understand how important their degree is for life after baseball, but show the discipline and determination to get it," notes current Sun Devil baseball coach Tracy Smith. "Trevor is playing baseball at the highest level possible but made it a priority to earn his ASU degree. It is an example for all our current and future Sun Devils players."
With his degree in hand, and a full professional season under his belt, Williams has found his stride on the mound this year. So far, he is putting together the best season of his young career. He leads the Pirates in wins and posted an ERA of 3.89 going into August.
#Pirates Trevor Williams, last 3 starts:
— Joe Block (@joe_block) July 29, 2018
0 runs
17 innings
"Experience is the best developer," Williams said. "It is my second full year in the big leagues and I know what it takes to have success and what it takes to not have success. Consistency is huge and you have to just be as consistent as possible and give yourself a chance to win every five days."
He has played a key role in the Pirates recent success. From July 11-24 the Pirates won 11 consecutive games to put them back in the playoff picture. During that stretch, Williams picked up two wins. The second came against Cleveland Indians two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, and Williams then defeated New York Mets standout Jacob deGrom in his next start. Williams didn't allow a run in either game.
Of course, when a team is playing like that, success translates to having fun.
"Eleven wins [in a row] was a blast," Williams said. "We were playing really good baseball and it is what we needed. It's fun to show up to the yard every day. You feel like you get there earlier and earlier because you just want to be around the guys."
After his first season with the Pirates, Williams embarked on another journey. And this journey was bigger than baseball.
Williams, alongside former ASU teammate, roommate and friend Cory Hahn, now the coordinator of pro scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks, launched Project Thirty Four, a foundation to benefit those with spinal cord injuries.
In his third career game with ASU in 2011, Hahn slid head-first into second base and collided with the second baseman. The collision severed Hahn's fifth cervical vertebra and paralyzed him from the chest down.
After seeing his friend's baseball career come to a sudden halt, and the lengthy rehab process that ensued, Williams was motivated to give back to those going through a similar situation.
"I always had this idea and this goal to want to be able to give back and I had shared it with Trevor," Hahn said. "That was over the course of years, and he wanted to be able to give back to society and wanted to make it a better place."
Project 34 officially launched on March 4 and has taken off. On June 23, the Pirates hosted Project 34 Day at PNC Park, inviting Pittsburgh residents with spinal cord injuries to join the team on the field before the game and then watch the game form a suite. That day's 50/50 raffle donated the proceeds to Project 34.
"Pirates Charities is awesome and they wanted to help out any way they could," Williams said. "They opened their doors to us and wanted to help out from the start."
Today, Trevor & Jackie Williams hosted their @ProjThirtyFour Day at PNC Park.
— Pirates (@Pirates) June 24, 2018
Project 34 is a non-profit dedicated to assist those who suffer from spinal cord injuries. pic.twitter.com/Oewd8lT1Fs
Project 34 Day isn't the only time you will see the No. 34 at PNC Park, though. Anytime Williams takes the mound, he'll do it with No. 34 on his back in honor of Hahn.
"It's very humbling," Williams said. "It helps me understand that nobody is bigger than the game. When you are playing for a reason other than personal success, it makes baseball a lot more fun and a lot more meaningful. I am very proud to wear No. 34 every time I put on a uniform. Cory's injury reminded me that I am not going to be playing this game forever and while I have this jersey I can honor him."
For Hahn, seeing one of his best friends on the mound supporting him is incredibly meaningful, and helps him feel closer to his own dream of playing professional baseball.
"It is a journey that we are taking together," Hahn said. "I feel just as close to him on the mound as he does to me."
For now, Williams will stay focused on the mound, as the Pirates make a playoff push. But he will also continue to keep his sights on issues bigger than baseball – such as his education and Project 34 – and work to make the world around him a better place.
I will now wear #34 on my back.
— Trevor Williams (@MeLlamoTrevor) November 21, 2017
It is an honor, @CoryHahn34 pic.twitter.com/GxDDfg3pb1