TAMPA — Jordan Williams needed just 35 games to etch his name in the University of Tampa record books.
He was looking to make another mark on the baseball program as his team took the field for the Division II South 1 Regional this past week.
The outfielder made history during the second game of a doubleheader against Nova Southeastern on April 5.
Following an infield single in the bottom of the third inning, Jordan knew he wanted to run on the first pitch. He took off on the initial offering from Federico Zapata to Nico Saladino, stealing his 53rd base of the season with ease. The feat broke UT’s single-season record, which had been held by Eddie Cowans since 1982.
Jordan stole another base as Tampa swept the Sharks, and the Odessa native went on to swipe another 15 bags in the final 15 games of the regular season. He finished with 69 steals, more than any other player at all three divisions of the NCAA.
To become a great base stealer, natural speed and a quick first step are only half of the equation. As Yogi Berra once put it, the other 90% is mental.
“Great base stealers, they lack fear, they’re aggressive, they’re not worried about getting thrown out,” said Spartans head coach Joe Urso. “And (Jordan) lacks fear.”
Jordan developed the proper mindset to steal bases from dad Reggie, who played in parts of four major-league seasons with the Angels and Dodgers from 1992-1999.
“He used to talk to me about how it’s in the name, stealing bases,” Jordan said. “If you’re going to rob something, you can’t go in there scared the police are gonna be in there.”
The strong baseball foundation in the Williams family applies to Jordan’s siblings; older brothers Reggie Jr. (Cardinals), J.D. (Twins), Camryn (Royals) and Javier (Royals) all were drafted.
Jordan wasn’t highly recruited out of Gaither High School in Tampa, but he followed in Camryn’s footsteps and began his college career at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas. With the Ravens, Williams made the JUCO World Series in both of his seasons and was first-team all-conference as a sophomore in 2022.
Jordan turned his success at junior college into a commitment to Florida State for 2023. He spent another two seasons in Tallahassee, where he made respectable contributions but could never pave a way to being a regular in the starting lineup.
In 2024, Jordan appeared in 35 games on a Seminoles team crowded with talent; the outfield was held down by MLB draft picks James Tibbs and Jaime Ferrer, and Max Williams posted a .967 OPS in 64 games. Jordan helped FSU advance to the College World Series in a Super Regionals sweep of UConn before falling twice to Tennessee in Omaha, Nebraska.
Following another college season where he was so close to a championship, Jordan wasn’t quite sure if he would be granted eligibility to play in 2025. Once the NCAA ruled in his favor, Seminoles head coach Link Jarrett knew exactly who to call.
“After the fall, (Urso) had a good talk with my former coach, Link Jarrett, at Florida State. And I guess at the end of the talk they landed on that I’m a guy that you can just let run,” Jordan said. “And he said that I’m one of the people that he would allow to do this from the beginning of the year.”
Jordan said every chance as a baserunner gives him a little more experience to build off for the next time. Once he was given the vote of confidence by Urso, he made sure not to abuse it.
“It’s like that saying from Spider-Man, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’ ” Jordan said. “So can’t misuse it, can’t abuse it, and I definitely have been thinking about the team every time I run.”
That’s clear, as exhibited by his 89.6% success rate on 77 total stolen base attempts during the regular season.
“(Urso) has pretty much told me that he has a lot of trust in me and my instincts and me having the feel to do what’s best for the team in that situation, if it’s moving myself into scoring position, or if it’s like, ‘Hey, this guy’s a little bit quicker to the plate,’ or ‘Hey, me not running is giving this guy some good pitches to hit, so let’s just stay put,’ ” Jordan said.
“I have to have that little internal dialogue with myself, and I’m able to make those decisions.”
As a 2025 first-team all-Sunshine State Conference selection, the speed threat possesses more than one tool. Jordan led the Spartans with 58 runs, 69 hits and 108 total bases. He also led all regular starters with a .375 batting average and slugged .587, powering the brunt of his 1.042 OPS.
“He’s just a total athlete. He can run, he can bunt, he can hit and he’s got surprising power — plus defender as well with a good arm,” Urso said. “So, really, he has all the tools that major-league scouts are looking for, much less a college like us.”
Knowing his name may very well stand alone as Tampa’s single-season stolen base leader for another four decades, Jordan doesn’t have many goals left on his bucket list. One of them is to be drafted so he can stop waiting in the Williams family line of professional baseball players.
The other goal is to win a national championship, one that he came so close to achieving at San Jacinto and Florida State.
“I can tell when a team is feeling a little too tight, feeling like they’re forcing a couple things, and I also feel like I have a good radar for when a team is going good,” Jordan said. “So, I was fortunate enough to go, and I can feel very good energy around this team, too.”