2021 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 21, 2021

Donta Williams

Arizona Wildcats

Postgame Press Conference

Stanford - 14, Arizona - 5

Q. Donta, what is it that you as a team were either saying or what did you guys do when you got together after you were down 10-0?

DONTA WILLIAMS: Just keep going. You could never count our offense out. We've been there plenty of times in the season. So I mean just get it to the next guy. Just go up there and have a competitive AB. And, you know, we trust one another. So that's what we did. We continued to do it throughout the game.

Q. What are you going to remember the most about this team?

DONTA WILLIAMS: Everything. I mean, from the locker room, weight room, the competitiveness, the music in the hitting facility. Every day they just come out and give everything that they have, and that's why we're in this situation.

I'm blessed to be part of this team. I'm very grateful with the group of men that we have and what they developed to become. And every memory on this point, I'm just thankful for everything.

Q. Is it hard right now to not think about all the accomplishments and success you guys have had?

DONTA WILLIAMS: We made it to the College World Series. I mean, that's everybody's dream growing up. So this team was special. This team was very special. And it's just hard.

Q. Just capsualize your experience there this week from the time you got to Omaha to walking into that ballpark for the first time. As a kid I'm sure that wanted to play there how you took it all in?

DONTA WILLIAMS: We talk about staying in the moment, being present all the time. So I mean, when it was that time to just soak it all in, that's what we all did. We just look at the crowd, the venues, hotel, the food around the hotel and everything, we just made every moment the most.

When it was time to play we just came out and stayed in the moment. And we just competed. And I think that's why we came out here. It was a great experience. And I didn't -- it was everything I dreamed of it to be. So I'm just happy I got the chance to be here with this group of guys.

Q. You've been one of the leaders on this team the last couple of years, but there's been a lot of freshmen that have stepped up. Do you think you're leaving the program in capable hands with a bright future?

DONTA WILLIAMS: We got 30 leaders on this team. I don't see myself as just the individual guy on this team. There's 30 other guys in that locker room that's bleeding right now. And they bring different characteristics to the team. Every one of them are leaders in my eyes.

I think whoever wants to run the program, whatever you guys want to call it, there's going to be a ton of guys that's going to step up to the plate and do what they can do to carry the team to keep pushing the team and just keep the train going.

Q. Some of your last at-bats that you guys had today, Daniel hit a bullet to second base that was a double play. Kobe hit a ball that the guy jumped for to maybe rob him of a home run. And your last at-bat was a hard line drive to the second baseman. Did that sort of represent what this day was, one of those days in baseball?

DONTA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you hit the ball hard. You can't do anything after you hit the ball. So it's out of your hands. We put great swings on it. And just didn't go our way, I guess you could say.

We had a lot of opportunities in the game, but with that being said, staying in the moment and just being up there and competing, that's all we can do. Just giving it our 110 percent. So, yeah, we swung the bat. We hit the ball hard. That's all we can ask.

Q. Once the game got out of hand, Jay kind of emptied the bench a little bit. He got George Arias in the game and Blake and Chase. What did it mean for you guys seeing some of your teammates who haven't gotten as much playing time to get a chance to play at the World Series?

DONTA WILLIAMS: Everybody's great players. We have a stack load of players that we could put in whatever position. But just knowing -- seeing CD get an at-bat, seeing George get out there, you know just something that we're going to look forward to. See CD getting his ABs in and he's going to be a great player. And I've seen him grow a lot from the fall. And all the work that George put in and Paugh in the cages and stuff like that, they're going to be great players. And I'm just proud of them and I can't wait to see what they do.

Q. What's the next few weeks going to be like for you in terms of rest and routine as you get ready for the draft and whatever potential professional opportunity may come your way?

DONTA WILLIAMS: I haven't even thought about that yet. I haven't thought any second about the next few weeks. I've just been out here trying to give everything I got. So that's still where my head is right now.