The Colonels opened play in the annual First Pitch Classic and were tagged with five errors, going a long way toward explaining why Cass fell, 13-1, to North Hall in the first game.
Williams, who picked up the reins as head coach of the Colonels on Thursday, said he saw a lot of areas that he and his coaching staff will be working before the team assembles in early spring to begin region play.
"We will use their errors as a starting point to improve the team," the Sylacauga, Ala., native said. "There'll be no rest from trying to get better."
The Colonels played Pickens County in the night game Friday. Today they play South Paulding starting at 5:30 p.m. at Cass.
Williams, who moved to his position from associate head coach and is beginning his 11th year with the program, emphasized the performance on Friday is no indicator of what kind of team the Colonels will be in the spring because they will have gained a lot more baseball experience.
He also emphasized the team that played against North Hall is younger than the one that assembles in the spring because the varsity squad will include juniors and seniors who presently are playing travel ball around North Georgia.
Those teams include such talent as the Colonels' Sam Ayers, Dylan Williams, Sam Russell and Brandon Etheridge.
Williams said the team's more experienced players are playing in competitive leagues, where they benefit from playing as part of and against quality baseball teams. He noted they also attract the attention of collegiate baseball scouts with their travel ball play.
He stressed that attention could help those players continue their baseball careers at the next level, a development that Cass and other Bartow County schools welcome.
"We try to use every resource available to help our players improve themselves," Williams added.
While there were a number of errors made against North Hall, coach Williams said, he also saw positive signs of young talent throughout the game.
"Chris Morton, who was our starter, had a good performance, as did Chris Hill, who came in to close out the contest," he said. "Cody Ledbetter, who pitched an inning, also did a good job for us."
He noted Morton made solid contact twice on the evening.
Morton, a speedster, also scored the Colonels' only run of the afternoon after singling his way on in the bottom of the first. Morton advanced the hard way, getting caught off base by a pitchout by North Hall's pitcher to the first baseman but instead of trying to run back to first he turned on the jets toward second. That sudden burst of speed appeared to rush the pitch toward second and it somehow smacked the ground and bounced past the second baseman to begin looking for a new home way off in the outfield. Before the outfielder could get a paw on the ball, Morton had put second and third bases in his rear view and was so close to home that North Hall used its cutoff-man instead of going to home plate.
Williams also noted the hitting of Boo Reed, who got under one of his pitches and made it a sky-hugger in the second inning that was misplayed by a North outfielder and somehow fell just behind him.
Reed was already near third base before the ball finally thudded to earth.
"We'll call it a triple," Williams commented, a twinkle in his voice.