Story by
Jason Williams says Florida coach orchestrated ejection to avoid handshake with Mia Williams
- Story by
- Jason Williams says Florida coach orchestrated ejection to avoid handshake with Mia Williams
With the dream of a Women's College World Series berth slipping away from his team, Florida softball coach Tim Walton was ejected in the fifth inning of the Gators' 16-7 loss to Texas Tech in the final game of the Gainesville Super Regional on Sunday, May 24.
According to a prominent former Florida athlete, it just might have been intentional.
Advertisement
Former NBA and Gators point guard Jason Williams said Walton's ejection for arguing balls and strikes was premeditated so that the coach wouldn't have to shake hands after the game with Williams' daughter, Mia, a standout infielder for Texas Tech who transferred into the program from Florida last offseason.
REQUIRED READING: After softball drama, Jason Williams says he'll only visit Florida campus on one condition
"He got kicked out because he didn't want to shake her hand," Williams said to the Gainesville Sun , a part of the USA TODAY Network.
The younger Williams played at Florida for two seasons and played all 65 games last season for a Gators team that advanced to the WCWS. After the 2025 season, she transferred to Texas Tech, which was coming off a run to the championship series of the WCWS and has become a haven for high-profile transfers in recent years.
That move and whatever hard feelings lingered from it hovered over the best-of-three super regional series between the Gators and Red Raiders.
Advertisement
REQUIRED READING: Jason Williams says Florida fan hit daughter: 'She isn't supposed to be hitting little girls'
Over the course of the series, Williams was hit by five pitches, including the first pitch of the first game and the first pitch of the decisive third game. In her second at-bat in Game 3, Williams launched a two-run home run that gave Texas Tech a 5-4 lead and prompted a celebration that earned the Red Raiders a warning from the umpire.
Williams ultimately got the last laugh, finishing the series 3-of-7 with five RBI at the plate.
Her father, who played for Florida for one season before being the No. 7 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, was seen in the crowd yelling toward the Gators' dugout after a Texas Tech homer and doing the gator chomp. After the Red Raiders' Game 3 victory, he celebrated with the team on the field at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
Following Texas Tech's series-clinching win, the teams didn't shake hands.
Advertisement
"It makes no sense to me at all," Walton said when asked about the drama of the series. "I have no idea where that came from. I don't think that's fair to the kids in both dugouts. I have no idea where that pot was being stirred. There's never been a problem ever. Kids transfer all the time."
In her first season at Texas Tech, Mia Williams has set program single-season records for home runs (24), runs scored (86), total bases (177), RBI (82) and doubles (22).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jason Williams: Florida softball coach got ejected to avoid shaking hands with his daughter
