Bob Smith Named Head Baseball Coach at Â鶹ÊÓƵ
MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Associate Vice President for Athletics and Compliance, Patrick Mashuda, announced on Friday, June 6th, the hiring of as the new head baseball coach for the Hawks. Smith brings a diverse coaching background with experiences in the professional and collegiate ranks.
“We are excited to have someone with so much experience lead the baseball program,” stated Mashuda. “I feel strongly that his ties in the baseball community will allow him to build a complete staff and program that will compete in the perennially tough Conference Carolinas, which features some of the best programs that NCAA D2 baseball has to offer.”
Smith has a wide scope of coaching experience, dating back to his first stop as a graduate assistant at Louisiana State University. Upon completion of his Master of Science in Education at LSU, Smith took a position as a full-time assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. After three seasons with the Volunteers, Smith went on to serve as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky for four seasons. At Kentucky, Smith was a part of a squad that finished 41-20 and made the NCAA Tournament in 1991.
The Pennsylvania native left Kentucky to accept a pitching coach position at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He helped the Rams to a Metro Conference Championship and an NCAA appearance during his three year stint.
Smith left the collegiate coaching ranks to open a baseball academy in Richmond, where he also set up his long-term roots. Smith built a grass roots youth baseball development academy that is still active today and has several branches in the greater RVA area. More than 50 of the academy players have gone on to be drafted by the MLB.
Still the college coaching bug was alive in Smith, so after several years of growth in the academies, Smith took a pitching coach position at George Washington University where he spent three seasons. In 2010, Smith took over the Coastal Plains Petersburg Generals. Smith spent several summers coaching in the summer collegiate wooden bat leagues, the Coastal Plains and Cape Cod Leagues.
Along with his college and summer league experiences, Smith has served as a professional scout for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and the St. Louis Cardinals. During his coaching career Smith saw 118 players get drafted by the MLB.
“Bob is just the kind of guy we need to get the program rolling and competing in our league,” continued Mashuda. “He is a fundamentals baseball coach who believes in player development. I feel pretty lucky to have a coach with his experiences here with us as we move forward in Conference Carolinas.”