Veteran White River High coach Mike Williams was recently named president of the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association.

Williams wasn’t immediately sure what the post entails, simply noting he would be “jumping in with both feet and seeing what happens.” He takes the reins from outgoing president Brad Conn of Sedro Woolley High School.

“It is going to be a huge undertaking and I can’t fill Brad’s shoes, I already know that. I’m just going to do the best I can,” Williams said via email.

The association’s presidential post originally was designed as a two-year term but, lacking any interested candidates, Conn kept the job for eight years. Williams, who takes over immediately, said he’ll do it for a year “and see what happens.”

Williams certainly is known around the state by his coaching peers. A year ago, he was given the WSBCA’s Don Freeman Award, which is given annually to a coach who not only enjoys success on the field but also serves as a quality representative of Washington high school baseball.

Williams is a White River alum, having graduated in 1984 before heading off to play baseball at Big Bend Community College and Central Washington University. He returned home and coached the White River Middle School team to a championship in 1988 and headed the White River High program in 1989. He then made stops in Yelm and Enumclaw before taking over the White River program for good in 1997.

During his 18 years as a head coach Williams had built a record of 218-175 and led his teams to 14 playoff appearances. Along the way, there have been four league championships and two appearances in the state tournament; the first state trip came in 2002, when the Hornets placed fifth, and the second came during the recently-concluded season.

He has earned league Coach of the Year accolades five times and, following the 2013 campaign, was honored by the WSBCA as the state’s Class 2A coach of the year.