An amazing career for Iowa State softball player Sami Williams has come to an end, but the accolades have not stopped rolling in. Williams was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team All-American. This is the first time an Iowa State softball player has received these honors.

Williams shined in the final year of her career, finishing the season with a batting average of .446 with 21 home runs. These were both the highest in a season at Iowa State. Sami Williams also holds the career records for hits, home runs, RBIs, doubles, runs, games played and at-bats. To go along with all of these school records, she also holds the Big 12 records for hits, doubles and total bases.

Head Coach Jamie Pinkerton has always praised Williams for her hard work and loyalty to Iowa State despite playing through coaching changes and other struggles.

“To have [Cyclone seniors] have total buy in, and to be able to get the program to this point in their tenure is really surreal,” Pinkerton said. 

Pinkerton said in another interview that Williams is one of the hardest workers on and off the field that he has ever coached. Williams definitely backs this up, as she became a four-time Academic All-Big 12 this season while majoring in software engineering.

Williams was selected eighth overall in the 2021 Athletes Unlimited College Draft. This gives her the opportunity to pursue a professional softball career, as her collegiate career has come to an end. Williams has received a ton of accolades over the course of her career, but being a First-Team All-American will definitely be one that sticks out.