Dustin Williams is entering his second season as an assistant coach for Tarleton State Baseball in 2026. Former All-Big 12 first baseman and Weatherford native Williams joined Tarleton State Baseball’s staff in September, 2024. He works with and develops Tarleton State’s catchers while assisting with the Texans’ hitters.
In 2025, Tarleton State went .500 in WAC play (12-12), 24-32 overall with a 19-14 home record. Tarleton State made consecutive WAC Tournament appearances for the first time, buoyed by a final home series sweep of Grand Canyon. Tarleton State’s 2025 schedule was a daunting challenge, with several games against Power Four conference opponents, including a three-game series against Kansas, a home game against Kansas State and road games at No. 25 TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech. The Texans made national waves during the first week of the season in just their second game, in which Tarleton State scored 31 runs in seven innings against Butler, winning 31-5 in run-rule fashion. That marked Tarleton State's largest win in its NCAA Division I era, as well as the program's most runs scored in the D1 era. Tarleton State had five players named All-WAC, 16 Academic All-WAC, and were top-50 in the nation in triples (26, fourth), double plays (46, 27th) and steals (106, 46th). Conference-wise, the Texans were second in batting average (.299), second in slugging percentage (.479), and third in runs per game (7.6).
Williams, a former player at Oklahoma State, was Missouri State’s Director of Player Development from 2022-24 before arriving in Stephenville.
“Dustin is a young up-and-coming coach in this profession,” head coach Fuller Smith said at the time of his hiring. “He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program and we are excited he is a part of our family.”
During his time at Missouri State, Williams played a key role in the development of the Bears’ hitters, infielders and catchers. In addition to being the camp coordinator, Williams helped Missouri State to an NCAA Regional in 2022. Missouri State’s infielders and catchers combined for 114 home runs and a team OPS of .893 in 2024 under Williams’ watch.
Williams got the opportunity to be an assistant coach for the Chatham A’s of the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League in 2023. As the hitting coach for Chatham, Williams coached 13 players who went on to be selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Williams was instrumental in the development of three future first round selections, including seventh overall pick JJ Wetherholt.
Prior to coaching at Missouri State, Williams spent three seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. As a graduate assistant in his first two seasons and a volunteer assistant in his third year for the Islanders, Williams primarily worked with infielders and catchers.
After an All-American career at Weatherford High School, Williams played collegiately at Oklahoma State from 2014-17. The two-time All-Big 12 first baseman led the conference with 14 home runs as a junior in 2016 en route to guiding the Cowboys to the College World Series. Oklahoma State captured NCAA Regional berths in all of Williams’ four years in Stillwater.
Williams graduated from Oklahoma State’s College of Business in 2017 and received his master’s degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2022.
