ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — A former professional baseball player has returned to south Georgia to coach and mentor young athletes at the training facility he once used as a player.

Steven Williams, a Deerfield-Windsor standout who played at Auburn and in the Washington Nationals, has opened Forty-One Training in Albany.

“I think I’ve probably spent more hours in this place than anybody and it means a lot to me,” Williams said. “I was the first person to hit in these cages when they opened up about 15 years ago. So now, for me to be in a roll where I’m coaching and running it, it’s definitely a full circle moment.”

Williams said the facility helped him reach the SEC and professional baseball.

“I know you can come here, develop and get better, so yeah, it definitely means a lot,” he said.

Addressing opportunity gaps

Williams said south Georgia has never lacked baseball talent, but it has sometimes lacked opportunity and visibility. He plans to leverage relationships he built throughout college and professional baseball to help players gain exposure.

“I just think there’s not a lot down here, you know? There’s not a lot of training facilities in the area so people overlook it sometimes,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of players that have a lot of talent but they never really realize it themselves, much less the people that are trying to recruit them. Our goal is to have a place they can come and develop and then college recruiters can come and know we have guys that have potential to play for them.”

Williams has assembled a staff of former and current high-level baseball and softball players to help develop athletes. Many of those coaches grew up in south Georgia.

“Whenever those guys go and work with the players, those players see that and think, ‘Oh that guy went to my same school and he made it and played in the SEC,’” Williams said. “So, those players can see that’s a realistic option.”

Beyond the diamond

Williams said the mission goes beyond hitting, throwing and fielding. He believes the lessons learned through baseball can prepare players for life, teaching them how to handle adversity, respond to failure and continue moving forward.

“Baseball really only lasts for so long. At some point, it’s gonna end so I want my players to know how to live their life whether it’s what they do in their career or what they do as a boyfriend, father, husband, brother, whatever it is,” he said.

Williams played for Team USA at 14 years old. He said the community rallied around him during his playing days, and he hopes south Georgia will embrace Forty-One Training.

“I can remember coming back from playing there and on my neighborhood street we had like hundreds of people there supporting me,” Williams said. “The community means a lot to me. I want to see this area have a place that’s there for the players to get their training in and be successful and have careers similar to mine.”

Facility upgrades

Between now and fall, the facility is set to undergo upgrades, including new batting cages, updated turf, a renovated outdoor field, bullpens and family viewing areas. Williams also plans to add HitTrax technology, giving players access to advanced data and analytics used at the highest levels of the game.

The name Forty-One Training is a reference to the number Williams wore at Auburn.

To learn more about Forty-One Training, click here.

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