BUCKFIELD – Jonah Williams has spent most of his life watching baseball games from the highest point of every dusty diamond in this community.

Almost every kid tries to pitch, of course. Williams made it apparent from an early age that being on the bump was destiny.

“I just like being in control,” he said.

Through four solid seasons, there’s no doubt that the lanky left-hander has been that anchor for Buckfield. Now it all seems to be escalating to a special, historic conclusion.

Williams will come out firing when No. 2 Buckfield (11-4) meets No. 4 Wiscasset (9-9) at 3 p.m. Wednesday for the Class D West championship at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

He’ll do it on three days’ rest after sealing a scintillating two-hit shutout of Searsport with his season-high 16th strikeout.

“This won’t be anything new for him. He’ll go in knowing what to expect in that way,” Buckfield coach Joe McLaughlin said. “He gets stronger as the season goes along, which I’m sure isn’t unique but it’s what you want to see. He gets more intense.”

As is the case with both teams in the final, some of Williams’ senior-year numbers are deceptive.

His won-lost record of only 4-3 doesn’t get your attention until you discover that the losses are to Class C regional finalist Sacopee Valley, Class C playoff club Old Orchard Beach and Class D West top seed Richmond.

Williams surrendered a total of only four earned runs in those games and six in all on his way to a 1.32 ERA over 40 2/3 innings. He has struck out 73 while walking only 12.

“We started off 0-3 and we fought our way back,” said Williams, who was on the mound in two of those contests. “We’ve done well.”

Buckfield played its mid-April season-opener at The Ballpark in OOB without having engaged in an outdoor practice, thanks to the late-arriving spring. Williams issued an uncharacteristic four walks and hit two batters in the loss.

His next time out, Williams no-hit Sacopee Valley — which would make a run to its first regional championship game in 21 years — before giving up a walk-off single.

“You can’t get any closer to winning than that,” McLaughlin said. “We were outscored 22-0 in our first three games. No excuses, but we weren’t the same team and Jonah wasn’t the same pitcher.”

When he gets into a rhythm, Williams dazzles opposing hitters with a repertoire that doesn’t feature a lot of finesse.

It’s mostly a strike zone-pounding array of fastballs, with an occasional breaking ball or change-up mixed in.

“Throw strikes. That’s definitely the No. 1 thing,” Williams said. “Keep my nerves down and have faith in the defense behind me.”

Williams has been hitting No. 3 in the Buckfield lineup behind classmate Owen Bennett since the first game of their freshman season. Buckfield made the tournament that year, but Williams broke his thumb in a Babe Ruth game the weekend prior to a semifinal game with Rangeley.

There was no missed opportunity the next season. When the Bucks made their first Class D state game appearance since 1997, Williams was on the hill.

Buckfield fell 7-3 to Bangor Christian in that one and lost 4-0 to the same opponent a year ago.

Williams won’t be eligible to pitch in this year’s final if he works more than three innings against Wiscasset.

It’s likely to be that much of a battle and then some. The Wolverines, playing most of the season without any substitute players, faced all Class B and C foes in the Mountain Valley Conference and thrashed Richmond 9-3 in the semifinals.

“The last few years we’ve competed with Class C teams. We feel good about it. Both teams are well-seasoned this year, played good competition and have good pitchers,” McLaughlin said. “What I like about Jonah is he gets up for the competition regardless. He’s pitched against some teams that are a lot thinner in the lineup, and the other day against a team with a pretty good lineup.”

In the semifinal win over Searsport, Williams escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth inning to guard a 1-0 lead.

“Once I got the lead I knew that it could be done from there, so I just had to keep doing what I was doing,” Williams said.

He would like to do more of the same the next four years at the University of Maine at Farmington, joining fellow local aces Riley Chickering of Oxford Hills and Nate Pushard of Edward Little.

Williams said UMF coach Chris Bessey has been in contact in recent weeks, most recently after the Searsport win.

The Beavers would get a durable pitcher who prefers to speak with his velocity and not his mouth.

“He’s a gamer,” McLaughlin said. “I’m going to miss that.”

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