An 'Old School' approach

The future looks pretty good to Bubby Williams.
The catcher on The Examiner’s 2007 All-Area team could be behind the plate at Crowder County Community College, where he was recently named a junior college All-American; he might be catching for one of several Division I schools who have shown an interest in his talents; or he could be drafted.
“Whatever happens,” the former Blue Springs High School standout said, “it’s going to be exciting.”
Unlike many of his friends on the Wildcats, who played American Legion ball with the Rod’s Sports Blue Springs A’s, Williams chose to play with the traveling Old School baseball team, coached by Mike Burnett.
“There are kind of two schools of thought on summer ball,” Williams said. “You can stay home and play Legion ball, which is great, but you basically play with your high school teammates and all the guys you played against in high school.
“By playing on the Old School team, I got to play with a bunch of guys from other teams – like Robbie Payton, Kellen Bartlett and Matt Morgan from Blue Springs South – and we traveled all over the country.
“That was pretty exciting. We played at Kansas State, Wichita State University, Xavier University and in Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee. That way, a lot of college coaches from across the country see you play and I think that helps your chances to do something in college.”
Williams is hitting .356 with 64 RBIs and 13 home runs in 56 games at Crowder.
“I heard our coach talking the other day to another coach and he was being asked about guys who might be drafted,” Williams said. “He said he had two – a pitcher and a catcher. Well, I’m the catcher, so that’s pretty cool.
“Will I get drafted? I don’t know, but I know I’ve talked to scouts from a lot of teams and I’ve filled out some paperwork for some major league teams.”
He has also talked to several Division I coaches about the chance to move on to their programs.
“I’ve talked to Ol’ Miss, which would be great because Kyle Barbeck (his teammate from Blue Springs) is going down there.”
Williams next move will be to Chillicothe, Mo., where he will play with the Chillicothe Mudcats in the MINK (Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska-Kansas) League.
“I hear the MINK League is pretty strong and it will be fun to play that level of competition this summer,” Williams said. “You go to Chillicothe, live with a host family and play baseball.
“I’ve been playing baseball for as long as I can remember, so it won’t be that different from what I’ve done in the past, especially the past three summers with Old School.”
Williams said the decision to play for Old School was one of the best he ever made.
“I really liked playing for Mike. We all liked to travel and I met a lot of guys I wouldn’t have gotten to know if we hadn’t been teammates,” Williams said.
“For me, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”