13 February 2025
Team Australia Stories | Jess Williams had major elbow surgery and then broke his leg. Now he's on the national squad.
A major elbow surgery and a broken leg would be enough to derail most people’s athletic careers.
Not infielder Jess Williams.
The 25-year-old from Perth is ready to suit up for the national team against Korean professional team Hanwha Eagles in a three-game exhibition series this weekend.
It’s been a long road to get here.
After the 2021 ABL season, Williams had Tommy John Surgery to repair his elbow. It’s a procedure with over a year of recovery time.
Two months after he finished his elbow rehab he broke his leg playing Australian Rules Football.
It wiped out nearly three years of a promising young player who had won the 2018 ABL Rookie of the Year, spent two seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers minors and represented Australia at the Under 18 World Cup.
After nearly three years between high-level baseball games, Williams strapped on the Green & Gold at the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championships before making his professional return for the 2023-24 ABL season with the Perth Heat.
“It’s definitely tough going through the rehab process but I was young and I had a great group of guys around the Perth Heat clubhouse so it was always the goal to get back to being playing with them,” says Williams.
“It’s been huge being back playing with them both mentally and physically for myself. So I’m just trying to enjoy it.”
Williams hasn’t just been back in the line-up, he’s been a massive contributor.
In 2024-25, his second full season back, Williams finished third in the ABL with a .324 average. The mark he set led all Perth Heat hitters.
“This year I felt a bit more like myself. In the first year back there were a fair few games I had to pop a few Nurofen to get through them,” he says. “But this year I had a good off-season in the gym and I came into the year feeling strong and healthy.”
Williams says the injuries also helped him shift his mindset and lean on his community.
“From the mental side of things, I think I’ve started to mature. I know when I first came into the ABL I had a great first year but then struggled a little bit. I didn’t know how to cope with it,” he says.
“When I was in juniors I always excelled, but then you start struggling and it’s completely different. I’ve learned to talk to coaches, and teammates about how to go through things and accept it and find my way out of it.”
Williams is still only 25-years-old and is yet to enter his baseball prime. He says the Australian jersey is a motivating factor.
“It’s huge. A big goal for mine was to try to put back on the Australian jersey,” says Williams. “Being part of the senior team this weekend is massive for me.”
