Jonah Williams reminded of baseball’s unwritten rules on fiery walk vs. Florida

“He just really wants to win, that bad.”

Down 8-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field against the Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns freshman left fielder Jonah Williams came to the plate with one out and a runner and first base trying to bring some juice to his team.

What transpired was one of the most fiery walks imaginable, ending with words between Williams and the pitcher, catcher, and first baseman, sparking an intervention from first base coach Michael Cantu, the first base umpire, and head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

There wasn’t a warning provided by Eddie Newsom, a Louisiana guy that Schlossnagle has known for decades, the Texas head coach said.

“I was just trying to keep the umpires off of him, keep him in the game,” Schlossnagle said.

While the condemnation was instant on social media, Schlossnagle defended the competitiveness of his animated freshman, a standout football player who was ranked as the consensus top safety in the country in the 2025 recruiting class.

“Jonah’s awesome, man, his energy and his competitiveness and his will to win is, if I’m a Texas fan, which I am, I would want that,” Schlossnagle said.

But in separation Williams from the umpire and the Florida first baseman, it was a moment for Schlossnagle to reiterate the differences between baseball and football.

“Just got to understand that baseball is a little different and there’s unwritten rules for the way you play the game,” Schlossnagle said.

“He knows that, he’s just trying to win, and he’s not doing anything to show anybody up. He just really wants to win, that bad, and when I say win, it’s not just the game, it’s the pitch, it’s the at bat, it’s the play.”