Former Padres pitcher Woody Williams joins Texas Longhorns

Longtime San Diego Padres pitcher Woody Williams to become Texas Longhorns pitching coach

A former San Diego Padres pitcher is swapping his MLB cap for a Division I cap.

According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball, Woody Williams is the Texas Longhorns’ new pitching coach. Williams’ Twitter bio confirms the news. He also ‘Liked’ Rogers’ tweet.

The Longhorns are one of college baseball’s elite, having reached the College World Series 38 times, more than half the contests in history. They’ve won the NCAA title six times, but the most recent was in 2005. Their struggles in this year’s contest in Omaha prompted the school to seek some new coaching blood. Williams expressed interest in the job in late June.

The hire looks like a home run on Twitter, with one fan of Williams writing, “He is hands down the most influential and smartest coach I have ever worked with.” Another called him “the GOAT of pitching knowledge,” and also noted that what separates him from the pack is how “he cares for his athletes as human beings.”

Williams also got an endorsement from fellow former MLB players Chris Burke and Ruben Amaro Jr., who has served as the Philadelphia Phillies’ assistant GM, GM, and color commentator since retiring:

“Great stuff. WW is a king.”

Williams spent 15 years in the majors, debuting with the Toronto Blue Jays during their 1993 championship season. Toronto traded him to San Diego in December 1998, and his first stint with the Padres lasted until the 2001 trade deadline, when they dealt him to St. Louis.

With the Cardinals, Williams was an All-Star in 2003 and helped the team to the National League pennant in 2004. He started Game 1 of the 2004 World Series, which the Cards would lose to the Boston Red Sox in a four-game sweep.

When Williams became a free agent after the 2004 season, he re-signed with the Padres. It was with them that he became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to earn a win against all 30 MLB teams. He did so by beating his former team, the Cardinals, on September 26, 2006. No Padres pitcher has replicated the feat.

Over five seasons in his two San Diego stints, Williams compiled a 4.32 ERA over 131 starts. He also hit the first of his four career home runs with the Pads in 2000.