Will James grew up in Greenville, North Carolina where he attended DH Conley High School. At DH Conley, they finished as Eastern Finals Runner Up in 2008. In 2009, James won Pitt County Pitcher of the year.

After high school, James went to Guilford College. He had a very successful career at Guilford and still remains in the record books for Career Apperances (53).

After he graduated from Guilford, He started working for the Dirtbags in 2013. He also serves as the pitching coach at Ayden-Grifton High School since 2014.