March 6, 2013

Aftermath of ‘The Catch’

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

Phil@collegebaseballinsider.com or @roadtoomaha

It’s been a week since NC State centerfielder Brett Williams (left) made his incredible somersault catch against New Mexico State. And it’s been seen by millions of people across the world.

Williams, a senior from New Bern, N.C., describes “the catch.”

“I was playing him slightly toward the left-center gap,” Williams said. “I was playing a little more shallow than usual. I had a long run for it; I got a good jump on it and took a good angle at it. It was a little bit out of my reach, so I left my feet, and I guess my momentum carried my body over into a flip. It turned out good because I was able to get a smooth landing and rolled over onto my feet. It looked pretty cool, and it was a more efficient way of getting up quicker after a diving catch.”

Williams is among those who have seen the replay, a replay that shows a ball destined for a double. Instead, Williams races to his right and dives in mid-air, a full-extension dive that turns into a near-flip after he makes the catch.

“I’ve seen it quite a few times now,” Williams said. “Everybody brings it up to me, ‘Hey man, watch this,’ like I’ve never seen it before. I thought it looked pretty cool. It looked kind of how I expected it to. It still hasn’t gotten old to me.”

As impressive as it was, it’s not No. 1 on Williams’ all-time list.

He recalls a catch against Florida State in the ACC Tournament two years ago.

“Because of the ground I had to cover and the distance of the dive,” Williams said. “It was more difficult. This one just looked a little bit cooler, I think.”

“The catch” has been one of the top plays in 2013. It has been viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube and has been replayed on numerous sports shows and websites and even on mainstream news programs, including CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

“I wasn’t expecting anywhere near this reaction,” Williams said. “After the first one, which was No. 1 on SportsCenter, I think I got just over 10,000 views on YouTube. I’ve talked to about everybody I’ve ever known that saw the catch and that’s pretty cool. I didn’t expect quite this much, seeing it on MLB Network and all the interviews. It’s been exciting. It’s been fun. No way did I expect this much.

“The craziest thing to me was seeing the catch on Good Morning America and my sister, who’s in high school at New Bern High School, she just happened to be on a school field trip to New York and was at Good Morning America. That was a pretty crazy coincidence.”

Williams is happy to be back on the field after missing the 2012 season with a knee injury.

“I feel great,” Williams said. “I still get sore after playing as much as we have been recently. We’ve come off playing something like 10 games in 12 days. We’ve got another long stretch coming. My knee feels great. It’s to be expected to feel a little sore. I feel as fast as I ever have been.”

(photos courtesy of NCSU Media Relations)