July 8, 2005

ATHENS, Ga. - Roger Williams, an All-Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher at North Carolina and the Tar Heels' pitching coach for the last 11 seasons, has accepted a similar position with University of Georgia baseball program. Bulldogs' head coach David Perno made the announcement Thursday evening.

Williams, who joined the Carolina coaching staff in October 1994, guided the Tar Heels to one of their finest seasons on the mound in 2005. Their team earned run average of 3.17 was the 10th-best in the nation and ranked as Carolina's lowest mark since 1990. UNC also tied a school record with seven shutouts last season, and Robert Woodard and Andrew Miller both earned all-conference accolades. In 2004, Daniel Bard earned All-ACC honors and was named the league's Freshman of the Year.

During his tenure at Carolina, Williams had 15 pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, and six more signed free agent contracts. Twelve are still active in professional baseball, including Kyle Snyder, Mike Bynum and Ryan Snare, who have all pitched in the majors.

"Roger Williams is one of the finest college baseball coaches in the country," said UNC head coach Mike Fox. "He was a tremendous help to me when I first came to Carolina, and it has been my pleasure to work with him over the past seven years. He has been a wonderful asset to the University of North Carolina and our baseball program for the past eleven years as a coach and three years as a player. Coach Williams and his wife Stephanie will be sorely missed. All of us wish them nothing but the best."

A native of Greenville, N.C., Williams was a standout pitcher for the Tar Heels from 1983-85, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs and spent two years playing at Triple-A Des Moines. In 1990, his final year of professional baseball, Williams was with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Williams tied an ACC record when he tallied 19 strikeouts against Duke in 1985. He is tied for fourth in Carolina history with 24 career victories and his .800 winning percentage (24-6 record) is among the all-time best at UNC. His 254 career strikeouts rank in the top 10 in school history. Williams' single-season marks of 113 strikeouts in 1985 and a 1.19 earned run average in 1983 are among Carolina's all-time top-five in their respective categories. His career totals in wins and strikeouts also rank among the best in ACC history.

He spent three seasons as pitching coach at East Carolina before returning to Chapel Hill in 1994.