The University of Mississippi Athletics
SPOTLIGHT: Smith Conquers Challenges
10/10/2010 | Baseball
Oct. 10, 2010
By Bill Bunting
Associate Athletics Media Relations Director
When Matt Smith began his baseball career with the Rebels, it was filled with the mixture of excitement and uncertainty that can only be brought to the field by a freshman with high expectations who is nervous about finding his place on the squad.
That excitement about playing the sport he loves for Ole Miss and the uncertainty of uncharted waters has been a theme for Smith since his arrival in Oxford in 2007. The only other mainstay has been the confidence and determination he has displayed as balance.
Smith redshirted that first season and settled into college life. He practiced with the squad and prepared for his chance to take the field, only to find out that there were new challenges waiting for him in what would be his first year taking the field for the Rebels.
A two-way player in the outfield and as a pitcher, Smith learned at the end of his first year in Oxford that he might be making the move to a new position - first base.
"It was definitely a challenge, but it was more a mental challenge for me than a physical one," Smith said. "I was facing playing a new position at first base and finding my role in the rotation and what would be expected of me on the mound."
The challenge of finding his niche on the team as a two-way player was short lived, however, as Smith met with adversity in his collegiate debut against Minnesota on opening day.
Against the Golden Gophers, Smith went 2-for-4 with a run scored before taking the mound to open the ninth inning. In his delivery to the plate after facing two batters, Smith tore a ligament in his pitching arm that took him out of the game.
Once again he was faced with uncertainty. Once again, he responded with a sense of determination and a resolve that he would make the best of things and find a way to contribute to his team.
Smith returned to the lineup a week later against Indiana State.
"I didn't know what was going to happen with the elbow," Smith said of his injury. "All I kept telling myself was I had been through a redshirt year and I was not going to sit out another year. The first weekend back, I was excited when I took the field and looked at it as basically a second opening day for me.
"Coach Bianco always tells us to find our niche. I just knew that if I really wanted to play I had to either do it or not. I worked hard and learned it's about consistency. The more consistent you can be, the greater the chance that you will get the opportunity to play."
He made the most of the opportunity, going 9-for-13 at the plate that weekend with three home runs, four runs scored and six RBI. In the Sunday finale, Smith was 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs. He came up with a two-RBI single to tie the game in the ninth and hit the walk-off home run in the 11th inning to complete the series sweep for the Rebels.
Smith was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for his efforts and announced his presence as a hitter to the league.
The Milan, Ga., native set the record for home runs by a freshman with 14.
It's that gritty determination and rough willpower he displayed as a freshman that has carried Smith through the last three seasons and allowed him to conquer the new challenges that cross his path.
His sophomore season Smith helped lead the Rebels to the SEC Championship as he tied for the team lead in home runs, led the squad in RBI, and also scored 52 runs.
None of his home runs was bigger, though, than his walk-off home run against fifth-ranked Virginia in the 12th inning of the first game of the 2009 NCAA Super Regional.
"That is the most excited I think I've ever been," Smith said of the home run against the Cavaliers. "People always say that you don't remember rounding the bases in a situation like that. I can tell you it's true. I remember hitting the ball and it going over the fence. I remember how loud the stadium got and how crazy it was as I came across home plate. That sound and that feeling is all I remember about it."
Being in that situation is something Smith relishes, though. He doesn't shy away from coming to the plate when the game is on the line and someone needs to drive in runs for his team or making that play in the field.
"That's what it is all about," Smith said. "Anytime you can come to the plate with runners in scoring position or coming up with that play on defense to give your team the win, you have to live for that moment. You have to want to make that play."
Smith hasn't only enjoyed being a player who comes up with the big hits or makes the great play on defense. In his junior season, Smith found himself moved back to the outfield - his natural position from high school - and learned that he can play another role for his team. This time, it's the role of mentor to his younger teammates.
"The biggest thing is that I've been able to help other guys on the team, especially some of the new guys," Smith said. "The younger guys always ask questions, especially since I've been here forever it seems. I know how Coach Bianco expects things to be done in our program and I can help the newer members of the squad understand what it is we're about here at Ole Miss."
And while it hasn't been the easiest trip around the horn for Smith in his career with the Rebels, it's been one he's enjoyed. That role of mentor also has him excited for his final season next spring as he looks at the new faces and talent coming back to the diamond for 2011.
"I'm excited and ready to go," Smith said. "I think our talent is really good this year. The only thing I see that will be able to stand in our way is ourselves. We will be as good as we are as one unit. If everyone makes the most of their opportunities and comes together as a team, then we can do anything."
