Darren Williams makes the move from pitcher to media member

Former Mason County High School, Eastern Kentucky University 

and University of Kentucky pitcher Darren Williams has made a smooth transition from the mound to the sports media world.

Williams is co-hosting the "Behind Kentucky Baseball" podcast with the voice of UK baseball Darren Headrick.

Williams is also scheduled to make his analyst debut alongside Headrick on Sunday when the Wildcats host the Morehead State University Eagles in an exhibition game at 1 p.m.

The podcast is available on Apple Music and Spotify.

The audio feed of Sunday's exhibition game will be on https://ukathletics.com

You can follow Williams on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Dub_Williams24.

Williams starts and Kentucky beats Indiana 4-2 to advance to Super Regionals

Darren Williams and his Kentucky teamates are headed to the NCAA Super Regional after the Wildcats beat Indiana 4-2 Monday night in front of record home crowd of 6,796 in the Lexington Regional final.

Williams, a 2016 graduate of Mason County High School, started and pitched four innings. He gave up two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out four.

"Best decison I've ever made was coming here," Williams wrote on Twitter.

The Wildcats won three straight elimination games in the regional and qualified for a Super Regional for just the second time in school history.

Kentucky will play LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the Super Regional.

News and notes

Here are a few news and notes:

• Darren Williams gave up three runs on five hits and struck out six in Kentucky's 3-0 loss to Alabama in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Alabama Tuesday evening. Williams got the start after striking out the side in the ninth inning in the Wildcats' 6-4 victory over No. 3 Florida on Senior Night last Friday. The Mason County grad picked up his second save of the season.

• Mason County sophomore Kenzie Gulley had two stolen bases in two attempts in the Lady Royals' 17-4 loss to Harrison County in the 10th Region Tournament Monday and finished the season with 65 stolen bases in 65 attempts. In the regular season, Gulley led the state in stolen bases (63) and runs (76), tied for first with 74 hits and tied for third with 11 triples.

• The Mason County Royals play the Harrison County Thorobreds today at 5:30 in the semifinals of the 10th Region Tournament at Mac Whitaker Field in Cynthiana. The game will be on WFTM-FM.

• Mason County senior and Northern Kentucky University signee Layla Henderson broke her own school records in the 1600 meter run and the 3200 meter run at Saturday's region track and field meet. Henderson won both races.

Williams pitched five innings of relief in Kentucky's 4-3 win over Alabama.

Darren Williams pitched five innings of relief in the Kentucky Wildcats' 16th straight victory - 4-3 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in 12 innings in Tuscaloosa on Friday night.

Williams gave up one run on three hits and struck out two.

The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 17 games with a 9-5 victory over Alabama on Saturday.

The series finale is Sunday at noon. The game will be on the SEC Network.

Darren Williams pitches three scoreless innings, fans seven in UK's season-opening loss

Less than a year after having elbow surgery, former Mason County Royal Darren Williams pitched three scoreless innings and struck out seven in the Kentucky Wildcats' 2-0 season-opening loss to Elon on Friday.

Williams entered the game in the seventh inning. He did not allow a hit and only walked one batter. He threw 53 pitches in his first appearance since last April.

Darren Williams throwing again after rehabbing from arm surgery

University of Kentucky pitcher Darren Williams, a 2016 graduate of Mason County High School, is throwing six months after having arm surgery.

Kentucky Baseball today tweeted a video of Williams throwing from the mound. In a retweet, Williams wrote that he was "Thankful for everyone with @UKBaseball for their hard work and time the last six months to get me back on the hump. 

Williams suffered a season-ending injury in April. He was 3-0 with a team-best 0.93 earned run average.

While rehabilitating from surgery, Williams announced in August that he would return to UK for his final season of eligibility.

“Smooth seas don’t make a skillful sailor”

Thankful for everyone with @UKBaseball for their hard work and time the past 6 months to get me back on the bump. https://t.co/3ehleg4xJW

— Darren Williams (@Dub_Williams24) October 12, 2022

Darren Williams will return to UK for his final year of college eligibility

Former Mason County basketball and baseball player Darren Williams announced today on Twitter that he will return to the University of Kentucky baseball team for his final year of college eligibility.

Williams suffered a season-ending injury last season. He is rehabilitating from surgery.

Williams, a graduate transfer from Eastern Kentucky University, was 3-0 with a team-best 0.93 earned run average. He struck out 31 batters in 29 innings

Williams had started two games after beginning the season in the Wildcats' bullpen. He was the winning pitcher in the 2,000th victory of the UK baseball program

Williams, a 2016 graduate of Mason County High School, was named 2nd Team All-Ohio Valley Conference following his junior season at EKU in 2021.

Darren Williams suffers season-ending injury

The University of Kentucky announced this morning that pitcher Darren Williams, a 2016 graduate of Mason County High School, will miss the rest of the season with an arm injury. 

Williams, a graduate transfer from Eastern Kentucky University, was 3-0 with a team-best 0.93 earned run average. He struck out 31 batters in 29 innings

Williams had started two games after beginning the season in the Wildcats' bullpen. He was the winning pitcher in the 2,000th victory in the history of the UK baseball program. 

Williams was named 2nd Team All-Ohio Valley Conference last year.

Darren Williams is the winning pitcher in Kentucky's 2,000th all-time victory

Darren Williams started and was the winning pitcher in the Kentucky Wildcats' 9-2 victory over Mississippi today at Kentucky Proud Park.

It's the 2,000th all-time win for the Kentucky baseball program.

Williams, a 2016 graduate of Mason County High School, threw six and a third innings, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out seven and walking one. Williams allowed only one hit after the first inning.

Darren Williams makes first start for UK

Mason County alum Darren Williams made his first for the University of Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 14 Georgia on Saturday.

Williams, a graduate student transfer from Eastern Kentucky University, struck out four and allowed six unearned runs in four innings of work. The Wildcats rallied for a 10-8 victory over the Bulldogs. 

Williams has only allowed one earned run in 22 and two-thirds innings. He has struck out 24 and walked nine. His ERA is 0.40.

Darren Williams pitches two scoreless and hitless inning in UK's 5-1 win over TCU

Mason County alum Darren Williams pitched two hitless and scoreless innings in the Kentucky Wildcats' 5-1 victory over Texas Christian University in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park.

Williams pitched the final two innings of the seven inning game. He struck out one and walked one.

Williams, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, has a win and a save in five appearances. He has pitched 11 scoreless innings, giving up nine hits. He has struck out nine and only walked three batters. The opposition is batting .209 vs. Williams.

Darren Williams pitches three scoreless innings in UK debut

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams celebrated his birthday by pitching three scoreless innings in his debut with the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

Williams did not allow a hit. He struck out four and walked one in the Wildcats' 6-2 win over Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Alabama. 

Williams transferred to UK after four seasons at Eastern Kentucky University.

Darren Williams is transferring to the University of Kentucky

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams is transferring from Eastern Kentucky University to the University of Kentucky.

Williams, a right-handed pitcher, entered the transfer portal last month after completing his junior season at EKU. He was named 2nd Team All-Ohio Valley Conference.

Williams had a 4.10 ERA and struck out 92 batters in 83.1 innings last season. Opposing batters had a .238 average against him.

In the OVC, Williams was 2nd in strikeouts, 2nd in innings pitched, 6th in opposing batting average and 7th in ERA.

He is playing for the Wilson Tobs in the Coastal Plain League this summer.

Darren Williams named 2nd team All-OVC

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams has been named 2nd team All-Ohio Valley Conference.

Williams, a right-handed starting pitcher for Eastern Kentucky, completed his junior season over the weekend. He had a 4.10 ERA and struck out 92 batters in 83.1 innings. Opposing batters had a .238 average against Williams.

In the OVC, Williams was 2nd in strikeouts, 2nd in innings pitched, 6th in opposing batting average and 7th in ERA.

Darren Williams fans a career-high 11 in final start of the season

In his first start since being named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week and his final start of the season, Darren Williams had a career-high 11 strikeouts in the Eastern Kentucky Colonels' 8-1 loss to North Dakota State on Friday.

Williams, a junior from Mason County, gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings of work. He did not walk a batter.

Williams suffered the loss to run his record to 3-8, but in his last eight starts, Williams had a 2.18 ERA and fanned 62 batters in 56 innings.

Eastern Kentucky closed out the season Saturday with a 6-1 loss to North Dakota State. The Colonels had a 21-32 record this season.

Darren Williams is the OVC Pitcher of the Week

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams is the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Williams, a redshirt junior at Eastern Kentucky University, started and pitched eight innings in the Colonels' 8-1 win over Belmont on Friday. He allowed one unearned run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts while picking up his third win of the season.

In his last seven starts, Williams, 6-foot-6 right-hander, has a 2.39 earned run average and 51 strikeouts in 49 innings. He is second in the OVC in innings pitched, tied for second in strikeouts, seventh in opposing batting average and eighth in ERA.

Darren Williams picks up second win EKU's 10-5 victory over Tennessee Tech

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams started and picked up his second win of the season in Eastern Kentucky's 10-5 victory over Tennessee Tech Friday night in Richmond.

Williams, a redshirt junior, allowed five runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked none in six innings.

Over his past five starts, Williams has struck out 39 batters in 34 innings. 

Random notes

Here are a few random notes for a chilly Saturday: 

Mason County senior Milyn Henry signed Friday afternoon to continue her academic and basketball career at Midway University. She had verbally committed to the school last month.

Former Mason County Lady Royal Tess Gray helped the University of the Cumberlands women's tennis team defeat Martin Methodist in the second round of the Mid-South Conference in Owensboro on Friday. Gray teamed with Laura Marie for a 6-0 victory in the #2 doubles match. The Patriots play Cumberland University (Tennessee) today in the semifinals.

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams pitched eight scoreless innings in Eastern Kentucky's 1-0 win over Jacksonville State Friday night. Williams allowed six hits, walked three and struck out a career-high nine batters.

The Mason County track and field team is hosting the Royal Rumble Invitational, the first home meet of the outdoor season, today. Check back here for the results.

(Updated to correct Laura Marie's name.)

Darren Williams gets his first win of the season in EKU's 8-6 victory over Eastern Illinois

Former Mason County Royal Darren Williams picked up his first win of the season in Eastern Kentucky's 8-6 road victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

Williams, a redshirt junior, gave up two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Seventy of his 106 pitches were strikes. 

It's the second straight start in which Williams has struck out seven batters. That is his career-high. 

Local sports notes

Here are a few local sports notes including two that I meant to post last week:

• Former Mason County Lady Royals Briana McNutt scored a career-high 23 points last night to lead the Thomas More Saints to a 75-68 victory over Life. McNutt was 8-of-11 from the field.

• The draws for the girls' and boys' 10th Region tournaments will be held tomorrow morning. The girls' tournament begins Monday night at Campbell County Middle School. The boys' tournament begins Wednesday night at George Rodger Clark Arena.

• Tickets for the girls' and boys' state tournaments can be purchased via Ticketmaster. There is a link on KHSAA.org

• Former Mason County Darren Williams pitched a scoreless inning in relief in Eastern Kentucky's 2-0 win over LSU last week. Williams faced five batters. He walked one, struck out one and gave up two hits.

• Mason County center Alex Schalch is the 2020 Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches 10th Region Runner-up Player of the Year and is eligible to tryout for the Kentucky All-Star Team.

• Mason County Indoor Track and Field Meet #4 takes place tomorrow at the Carmeuse/Mason County Schools Indoor Athletic Complex.