Williams brings HBCU talent to Squirrels
Fred Jeter | 4/27/2023, 6 p.m.
HBCU alumni are rare in professional baseball, but the Richmond Flying Squirrels have one.
Carter Williams, who joined the Richmond roster April 22, hails from North Carolina Central, where he was a four-time All-MEAC pick.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound, 25-year-old wears jersey No. 18.
A native of Brown Summit, N.C., Williams is a left-handed hitting outfielder who went 2-for-7, with a double, in his first two games at The Diamond.
Williams hit .336 with 11 homers and 61 runs batted in last season at High A Eugene. He began this season with Eugene before his promotion to the AA Squirrels.
Williams, who signed with San Francisco as an undrafted free agent, ranks with Central’s all-time stars. In 157 games over four seasons (2017-‘20), he hit. 329 with 13 homers and 111 RBI and 41 stolen bases.
Since the 1960s, there have been few HBCU athletes to play professionally, much less reach majors.
The most famous in Richmond lore is Ralph Garr, “The Roadrunner,” who played for the Richmond Braves in parts of the 1968, 1969 and 1970s seasons.
Garr, perhaps the all-time fans’ favorite at old Parker Field, was signed by the Atlanta Braves’ organization out of Grambling State.
