When Chris Williams was a 16-year-old student at Frontier Regional School, he was asked by a teacher what he wanted to do when he grew up. His response?
“I was actually in a math class and was asked what I wanted to do and I said that I wanted to teach at Frontier and coach the varsity baseball team,” the 25-year-old said.
This season he met one of those goals when he took over as head coach at Frontier and this former Red Hawk football and baseball player is now guiding one of the hottest baseball teams in western Mass. The Red Hawks currently sit at 9-2 overall, which ties them with Mohawk Trail Regional High School for the second best record in WMass Division III (South Hadley, at 10-1, has the best record). That’s not bad for a kid who once went by the nickname “Skinny Mini.”
When Williams and family moved to Deerfield from Virginia 18 years ago, he was a short, slender, 7-year-old kid. Two of his best friends — Jon Pepyne and Steve Grybko — began calling him “Skinny Mini” and the nickname stuck. Since then, he has been known by classmates, teachers, friends, co-workers and just about everyone else as “Skinny.”
As Skinny went through school, he began to grow and by high school he was filled out and playing offensive and defensive tackle for Scott Dredge’s football team, and starting at first base for Aaron Campbell’s baseball team. It was there that I met Williams, when I was in my first few years at the paper. It just so happens that two of my more memorable interactions with high school athletes also involved Williams.
One of those came during football season, when I had written a story writing off Frontier from winning a late-season game against Greenfield. I was on the sidelines that day when Frontier did a number on the Green Wave, and as the team was running off the field, one of the Frontier players chided me.
“Nice pick, Butynski,” I heard from the pack, the disdain very apparent in the player’s voice. I never forgot that moment. It was one of the first times I realized that football coaches use our picks and stories to motivate their teams. I never knew exactly who it was that said that until Williams recently mentioned it; he also had not forgotten the moment.
One other memorable moment between Williams and me occurred during his senior season when I wrote a story and mentioned that an error by Williams hurt Frontier during a loss. The next time I spoke with Campbell, he told me jokingly that Williams wanted to wrestle me, a little retribution for my giving ink to his miscue. I probably should have taken him up on that at the time — would have made for a good column.
Williams graduated from Frontier in 2009, having been a starter on the 2008 Red Hawk baseball team that won WMass and made it to the state finals. Williams graduated from UMass and is qualified to teach history. He is currently teaching special education at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke.
As he stated nine years ago, coaching at Frontier was something he has wanted to do for a long time. He served as the junior varsity coach for three years, when many of the current seniors on the team played as freshmen for Williams.
Williams currently has 11 seniors on the roster, and said this is a very tight-knit group.
“I knew right away my first year of junior varsity that this was a special group,” Williams said. “One thing that makes this a really special group of kids is that they are all about the team, all about the school and all about the community. They are a very focused and very proud group of kids. They are proud of where they come from, and I think that’s very important when you are competing for titles in South Deerfield.”
Williams knows firsthand about the pride that comes from playing sports at Frontier. He said it doesn’t just start and end with the team, but rather extends throughout the entire school, from athletic director Marty Sanderson, to softball coach Carrie Fydenkevez, and through his staff of assistants. He credits each person for helping guide him and giving his team all the support they need.
And the Hawks have given back to the community. Earlier this spring, the varsity and junior varsity teams took part in a spring cleanup, in which they went around to places in town such as the Senior Center, Town Common and Bloody Brook monument, and raked leaves, picked up sticks, and other things. They are also planning to hold a youth baseball clinic some time at the end of the month.
“I remember when I was a little kid, I couldn’t wait to play football and baseball,” Williams said. “I want little kids to get excited to one day play for Frontier. That’s the big leagues when you are from South County.”
Williams stepped into an enviable position this spring as he moved up to the varsity job. He currently coaches 11 seniors, many of whom are baseball-first athletes. Add the fact that none of the current players has won a WMass baseball title, and it makes some hungry players.
“I think what fuels their passion even more is that these guys are hungry for a western Mass. championship,” Williams said. “For the majority of these guys, they have not won a western Mass. title. The golf team and soccer team did, but I have 11 seniors who are very determined to win that championship.”
The only issue with having so many seniors is that when it comes to spring sports, a little thing called “Senioritis” can set in, because senior students are eager to graduate. Williams said that his players are so hungry for a title that he has not had any of that, and that his biggest worry was that with just nine spots on the diamond, there might not be enough room for all his seniors. He has been thrilled to find that factor has not been a problem.
“These guys have been awesome,” he began. “They have embraced their roles since Day 1. Not everyone can start, but there are pinch runners, relief pitchers, a DH, pinch hitters and guys who throw batting practice. Guys have accepted their roles and know how crucial that is toward us having a successful team.”
Williams seems to be light-years more advanced than his age of 25 might lead you to believe. As we discussed the team, he spoke extensively about the team being a cohesive unit, and about how much he has stressed that winning is about more than just one or two people doing their jobs. In fact, even though the Red Hawks have done a better job of hitting this season, he is still looking to get more production throughout the lineup.
“Every game together, that’s something we stress every practice,” Williams said. “Everybody focuses on their individual duty to the team being successful. If everyone pulls their weight, whether it’s coaching third base, throwing batting practice or anything else, all of those things together are important to winning.”
There are other important pieces needed to win, and Frontier has them this season. Seniors Nate Patterson and Noah Barnes give the Red Hawks a pair of ace pitchers, and junior Kyle Spencer has emerged as a very strong No. 3.
“Nate is a kid who overmatches the mighty,” Williams said. “No matter who he is playing against, he is never overwhelmed. And Noah Barnes, I call him and Nate 1A and 1B. Noah hits all his spots, never gives up free bases and really trusts our defense. And Kyle has really stepped up both pitching and in the outfield. He worked hard in the offeseason and a lot of that has paid off.”
Working in the offseason has paid off for many of the players. Six starters played for the successful Greenfield Post 81 Legion program last summer, including four on the Junior Legion team that went to the Northeast Regionals.
“These guys have had a lot of success on summer-league teams and a lot of them are getting individual help as well,” Williams said. “It’s been very clear to me that all of these kids are very invested in baseball here at Frontier.”
And that investment has paid off. Frontier has already clinched a postseason berth, which is the first step in the Hawks’ quest for a western Mass. title. Now they are looking to win a league crown and earn as many home tourney games as possible
It’s already been quite a ride for the Red Hawks, and it could very well be a long one in the postseason. And it all starts at the top, where a former player who always wanted to coach at his school, is guiding his alma mater to great heights.
One of the big Frontier bashers is senior third baseman Brandon Bryant, also a star lineman on the Frontier football team. Bryant has made it official that this fall he will be suiting up for the football team at Framingham State University.
The Rams are coming off a 9-2 season, which included a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Framingham State has won the MASCAC championship six straight years and have qualified for the NCAA tournament in three of the past four years.
Last week I reported that on Thursday, Greenfield High School will hold a ceremony on the school’s brand new track to dedicate the facility to long time coach Peter Conway.
Vern Sund, who was the main force behind getting the track named after Conway, also wants the public to know that a reception will be held at Taylor’s Tavern Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to stop by and celebrate with Conway.
Finally, former Pioneer pitcher Jake Hale is currently on the Castleton State University baseball team that just won the North Atlantic Conference championship. Hale, a freshman, has not been able to play this season due to a back injury, as well as the fact that it’s rare for freshmen to actually play. He is on the roster, has practiced when healthy and figures to contribute in seasons to come.
Jason Butynski is a Greenfield native and Recorder sportswriter. His email address is jbutynski@recorder.com. Like him on Facebook and leave your feedback at www.facebook.com/jaybutynski.