Infielder and catcher who was one of the team’s most versatile players in 2016 and became the starting catcher in 2017; did not start at catcher late in the season due to his second injury of 2017 … became the everyday first baseman in 2018 … a career .264 hitter with a .519 slugging percentage and .360 on-base percentage in 169 games (157 starts) over three seasons … had 31 doubles, a triple, 40 homers, 161 RBIs, 117 runs, 75 walks, 23 hit-by-pitches and seven steals … drafted two times in his career … two-time Clemson Regional All-Tournament selection.
2018: Drafted in the eighth round (No. 244 overall pick) by the Minnesota Twins and signed in June … Johnny Bench Award Watch List member … Third-Team All-ACC selection … hit .281 with 54 runs, 12 doubles, 18 homers, 72 RBIs, a .562 slugging percentage, .401 on-base percentage, 43 walks, seven hit-by-pitches and three steals in 63 games (63 starts, including 59 at first base, three at catcher and one as the DH) … tied for 12th in the nation in RBIs, tied for 17th in homers and tied for 22nd in RBIs per game (1.14) … first in the ACC in RBIs, tied for second in homers, ninth in total bases (132) and tied for 10th in runs … led the team in RBIs and multiple-RBI games (20) … tied for the team lead in games and starts … committed only three errors (.995 fielding percentage) … hit two grand slams, six three-run homers and four two-run homers … hit .323 with runners on base … was 9-for-14 (.643) with two grand slams and 22 RBIs with the bases loaded … had 17 multiple-hit games … ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak from May to June … named one of four national players-of-the-week by Collegiate Baseball and earned All-ACC Tournament honors by going 7-for-10 (.700) with three homers, two doubles, 10 RBIs, six runs, four walks and a .786 on-base percentage in three games; tied Clemson’s ACC Tournament record for RBIs … Clemson Regional All-Tournament selection after going 5-for-13 with a homer, double, six RBIs, three runs and a .556 on-base percentage in four games … went 2-for-4 with a key double in the ninth inning and a walkoff single in the 10th inning against William & Mary on Feb. 16 … went 2-for-4 with a homer, double and six RBIs against Furman on Feb. 20 … went 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, four RBIs, four runs and a hit-by-pitch against No. 10 Dallas Baptist on Feb. 23 … went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs against Winthrop on Feb. 27 … went 3-for-4 with two runs in the first game of a doubleheader against Georgia Tech on March 10 … went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in the second game of a doubleheader against Georgia Tech on March 10 … hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the eighth inning at Coastal Carolina on March 20 … hit a two-run homer at Furman on March 27 … hit a homer against No. 18 Coastal Carolina on April 3 … went 1-for-4 with a grand sam, two runs, a walk and hit-by-pitch against Miami (Fla.) on April 13 … went 1-for-3 with a grand slam and walk in the second game of a doubleheader against Miami (Fla.) on April 14 … went 1-for-4 with a homer and walk at Wake Forest on April 20 … went 2-for-5 with a homer and two runs at Wake Forest on April 22 … went 2-for-3 with a homer and walk at Virginia on April 28 … went 2-for-4 with a homer, four RBIs, two runs, a walk and steal at Virginia on April 29 … went 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs, a walk and hit-by-pitch against No. 15 Florida State on May 6 … went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, two runs and two walks at Pittsburgh on May 17 … went 3-for-3 with a homer, double, four RBIs, four runs and two walks against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament on May 23; scored three runs in the fourth inning … went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer and two walks against Miami (Fla.) in the ACC Tournament on May 24 … went 3-for-5 with a homer, double and three RBIs against No. 7 Florida State in the ACC Tournament on May 26 … went 2-for-3 with a homer, double, three RBIs, two runs and a walk against Vanderbilt in the Clemson Regional on June 3 … preseason second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball … No. 5 catcher in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 6 senior in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game … one of the top-75 seniors in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 20 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Baseball America … No. 24 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 29 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Perfect Game.
2017: Drafted in the 31st round (No. 919 overall pick) by the Tampa Bay Rays … Johnny Bench Award Watch List member … won the Dedication Award for outstanding work in the strength training room … hit .261 with 29 runs, 14 doubles, 14 homers, 51 RBIs, a .572 slugging percentage, .320 on-base percentage, 14 walks, four hit-by-pitches and two steals in 49 games (42 starts, including 36 at catcher and six as the DH) … tied for 10th in the ACC in homers … led the team in multiple-RBI games (16) and two-out RBIs (21) … only allowed 11 steals in 22 attempts … had 13 multiple-hit games … Clemson had a 28-8 record when he started at catcher … suffered a broken wrist on Feb. 12 and missed the first seven games; missed 14 games (and 21 starts) in all due to injury … named ACC Player-of-the-Week on March 20 for his five games from March 14-19; was 8-for-21 (.421) with two doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs … had a 13-game hitting streak from March to April … went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give Clemson the lead for good against Yale on March 14 … went 2-for-4 with a homer, double, four RBIs and a walk against Yale on March 15; his two-run double with two outs in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead runs … went 1-for-2 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk against No. 11 Virginia on March 18 … hit two homers at College of Charleston on March 21 … went 2-for-6 with a homer and two RBIs against Winthrop on March 29 … went 2-for-6 with a double and four RBIs at Georgia Tech on March 31 … went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a run at Georgia Tech on April 1 … went 2-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs at Georgia Tech on April 2 … hit a two-run homer and had a hit-by-pitch at Georgia on April 4 … went 2-for-5 with a homer at Florida State on April 17 … went 2-for-3 with homer, double, three RBIs, three runs, a hit-by-pitch and steal against Georgia on April 19 … had two RBIs and a walkoff walk with two outs in the ninth inning against No. 17 Wake Forest on April 21 … hit a homer at No. 3 North Carolina on April 28 … hit a two-run homer at No. 3 North Carolina on April 30 … went 3-for-3 with a homer, double, two RBIs and two runs against Nevada on May 6 … hit a three-run homer at NC State on May 20 … No. 157 college prospect for the 2017 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 26 catcher in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball … No. 34 ACC prospect for the 2017 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball.
2016: Hit .245 with 34 runs, five doubles, one triple, eight homers, 38 RBIs, a .342 on-base percentage, 18 walks, 12 hit-by-pitches and two steals in 57 games (52 starts, including 39 at first base and 13 at third base) … tied for ninth in Tiger history in hit-by-pitches … had 15 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games … hit .322 with four homers and 13 RBIs after the sixth inning … had five homers and 19 RBIs in the last 15 games … Clemson Regional All-Tournament selection after going 6-for-15 with one homer, six RBIs, four runs and three walks in four games … went 3-for-4 with an RBI, three runs and two hit-by-pitches against Maine on Feb. 21 … went 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and game-tying, run-scoring single in the ninth inning against No. 22 Boston College on March 20 … went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his first as a Tiger, double, walk and steal at No. 4 Miami (Fla.) on March 26 … went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, four runs and a hit-by-pitch at Western Carolina on March 30 … went 2-for-4 with a game-tying, two-run single in the sixth inning against Pittsburgh on April 3 … hit a two-run homer to tie the score in the seventh inning at Georgia on April 5 … went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk against No. 9 NC State on May 7 … went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs at Georgia Southern on May 13 … went 2-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs and two runs at Georgia Southern on May 15 … hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning at Notre Dame on May 19 … went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk at Notre Dame on May 21 … went 1-for-3 with two runs and a walk against No. 8 Virginia in the ACC Tournament on May 26; led off the ninth inning with a single and scored the go-ahead run … went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, three runs, a walk and hit-by-pitch against No. 11 Florida State in the ACC Tournament on May 29 … went 2-for-5 with a homer, five RBIs, three runs and a walk against Western Carolina in the Clemson Regional on June 3 … went 2-for-3 with a run and walk against No. 18 Oklahoma State in the Clemson Regional on June 4 … played for Long Beach in the California Collegiate League in the summer, where he hit .233 with four runs, three doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs and one steal in 17 games.
Before Clemson: All-state, conference MVP and team MVP in 2015 at Golden West College, where he was coached by Bert Villarreal … member of the conference champion in 2015 … all-state as a senior … league MVP as a senior … all-league selection as a sophomore, junior and senior … team MVP as a sophomore, junior and senior … member of the conference champion as a junior and senior … lettered four times in baseball at Garden Grove High School, where he was coached by Ricardo Cepeda.
Personal: Majoring in management … born Chris Kenichi Williams on Nov. 23, 1996 in Garden Grove, Calif.
