Ben Williamson is headed to the World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays after they beat the Cleveland Guardians to win the American League Championship Series, putting the William & Mary alum one step from an October stage that few in his program have ever reached.
The World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers is set to begin Friday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. Williamson has already played a meaningful part in the Rays' run. He started three of the six games in the ALCS, drew two walks and scored two runs, then delivered the kind of play that gets replayed immediately: a diving stab to his right in Game 5 to rob José Ramírez of a base hit before throwing to first base. 's SportsCenter put the play in its Top 10 of the day.
That moment fit the profile Williamson has built in his second Major League Baseball season. The Rays acquired him in an offseason trade after the Mariners drafted him in 2023, and he has gone from college standout to a postseason contributor in a span that makes the trip feel sudden and earned at once. He graduated from William & Mary in 2023 with a CAA Player of the Year trophy and a Bachelor of Business Administration, then became the 14th Tribe player to reach the Major Leagues in 2025.
Now the school has a chance at something even rarer. Williamson is on track to become only the third player from William & Mary to appear in the World Series, and the first since Vic Raschi in 1953. If he gets into the matchup for Tampa Bay, he would also become the sixth William & Mary alumnus to play in the MLB Postseason, a brief list for a program that was recently included on Forbes' list of 15 Top Colleges For Launching Your Career.
There is still one unanswered piece: what role Williamson will have once the World Series starts. He has already shown he can matter in the field, and the Rays have leaned on that glove at second base when every out has had the feel of October. For William & Mary, Friday night offers a rare name in a familiar spot; for Williamson, it could be the night a late-season trade turns into a place in history.
