Cortland N.Y. – A stiff wind blows a sharp wind across the outfield. Only a handful of spectators remain in the stands. The scoreboard displays a sight nearly as dreadful as the weather.
Peering out of the dugout during a 17-3 loss in game two of a doubleheader is James Williamson, head coach of the Tompkins Cortland Community College baseball team.
His Panthers have been in a slump recently losing their past eight games in a row, several of them by double digits. As he heads towards his car to make the trip back home the score of the games couldn’t be any further from his mind.
Williamson’s main worry right now is on his pitcher Erik Grullon. Not on his performance on the mound today but rather his performance in the classroom. Grullon has an 8:00 a.m. class the next morning that he’s prone to skip.
“There’s way more to all this than just winning and losing ballgames,” said Williamson. “These kids are here for a reason and it’s my job to help them get out of here in a better place than where they started.”
Williamson became the head coach of the Panthers in 2022 and his goals have largely remained the same.
On a whiteboard in the coaches office are three objectives written in bright red bold letters. Number one: a 3.3 cumulative team grade point average. Number 2: Mid-State Athletic Conference championship. Number three: a home for all the sophomores.
Now in his fourth year at the helm for the Panthers, Williamson has seen success in two out of the three yearly goals he has written down. With his team’s current struggles it has become apparent to him and his coaching staff that this might not be the year to get a conference championship.
Despite this Williamson shows up to work every day with the same determination that aided him in his own playing days. Williamson played his college ball at SUNY Brockport and as a pitcher there carved his name into the record books where he still ranks second in career appearances and fourth in career earned run average.
“If you could put a picture in the dictionary for workhorse, it would be of him,” said Buzz Shirley, assistant coach for the Panthers. “The guy is not going to stop until whatever challenge put in front of him is solved.”
Williamson argues that the daily grind and dedication is an absolute necessity for the level that he and his team are at. Junior college baseball may not be the most pretty place for someone to be at, but Williamson stresses that these days at Tompkins Cortland are just as important as any other day any other place would be.
“He was always making sure we understood how big of an opportunity this was and how this is just the start of our journey,’’ said Tim Bowerman, a former outfielder for Williamson at Tompkins Cortland and now at Marywood University. “He’s the type of guy who would do anything for his players both on and off the field.”
Bowerman is just one example of many that have played under Williamson and gone on to find their new home afterwards. Aside from winning games, helping a player figure out his future after Tompkins Cortland is the biggest reward for Williamson.
“It’s not always just helping a guy navigate the recruiting process to transfer to a new program,” said Williamson. “A lot of guys want to enter the workforce after their time here, and helping them write a resume or get an interview is as big a part of my job as making the lineup is.”
Williamson’s dedication to his program and players helped him earn employee of the month for March at Tompkins Cortland. An honor that perfectly encapsulates his efforts to go above and beyond for the people that rely on him every day.
While the Panthers record or stats may not be the most glamorous, the team has never found themselves getting too far down on themselves. Williamson has worked hard to build a culture with his team that prevents that from happening, no matter the score.
“Our guys are resilient, coach Williamson has stressed that all year long,” said Shirley. “He’s preached all year that life is rough, baseball is rough, and school is rough, but there’s nothing that is going to stop us or bring us down, we have to keep going forward.”
The season continues to move forward for the Panthers and Williamson continues to put his players and program first. Still in search of a championship Williamson is optimistic any year could be their year.
“We have all the resources we need to succeed and win,” said Williamson. “It’s just a matter of getting guys to believe in our mission and work for it everyday.”