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05.04.05 Casey Smith Erskine record-setter hopes to live out dream of playing pro baseball Erskine College junior outfielder Casey Smith has become an overnight sensation in the wake of his team's success and he happily gives the credit to those around him in Due West. Smith, who hails from Marietta, Ga., and majors in sports management, said since he grew up in the Atlanta area, he’s always been a Braves fan. "I started playing when I was four," he said. "My parents didn't force it on me – it came naturally – it was just something I always loved." The Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Player of the Year said his dream was always clear. "I was typical kid who grew up in Atlanta," Smith said. "I was a Braves fan and wanted to grow up, play pro ball and play for the Braves." His childhood baseball heroes, predictably, were members of the Atlanta Braves. Since he was a pitcher early on, he idolized Braves’ hurlers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, who led Atlanta's pitching staff during the annual pennant runs for most of the 1990s. Slugger Mark McGwire was also one of his favorites, as were "old school guys" such as Braves' shortstop Jeff Blauser and second baseman Mark Lemke. Smith had a friend who had season tickets to Atlanta games, so he was able to witness the Braves play in the World Series and the National League Championship Series. That is pretty heady stuff for a kid who dreamed of playing for the Braves. But along the way, Smith developed into a strong football player in addition to his baseball skills, and he played both sports in high school. When it was about time to decide what college he wanted to go to, Smith had a choice to make. "I was getting heavily recruited in football and got a few offers for baseball, but more as a pitcher," he said. Eventually, Smith got a chance to meet Erskine Baseball Coach Kevin Nichols. "I really liked Coach Nick," he said. "The school was a little smaller than I wanted, but I knew I'd get the opportunity to play. "My heart was always in baseball and once word got out that I wanted to play baseball, the football guys kind of left me alone." Smith committed to Erskine in mid-April of his senior year. Although he had been a pitcher, Smith came into his own as a hitter once he got to Erskine. "I was always a good hitter," he said, "but nothing like when I came here." Smith said the difference was in coaching philosophy. "In high school, there was a different hitting philosophy," he said. "I hit eight home runs in four years of high school." Smith broke that mark in his freshman season with the Flying Fleet, stroking nine homers that year. He slugged 15 home runs last season and has 18 this season, along the way shattering the Erskine career mark established by Joe Whitmer in 2000. Nichols said Smith is "arguably the best hitter in (NCAA) Division II baseball," and the statistics support the coach's claim. Smith, through games of May 1, ranked 12th in batting average in Division II with a .448 mark, 11th in home runs per game (0.33), third in RBI per game (1.51), fourth in doubles per game (0.51), 15th in runs per game (1.25) and fourth in slugging percentage (.844). The Erskine junior's achievements have gotten the attention of Major League Baseball teams, including Smith’s beloved Atlanta Braves. He’s also received correspondence from the Oakland A's, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds and learned from other people that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals might be interested in him. “When I got the letter from the Braves, I was more than thrilled," Smith said. He hopes he'll get drafted in the June amateur draft, but he's not overconfident about it. "I like to think the numbers are going to be (noticed), but you never know," Smith said. He said if he does get drafted, he would likely sign "to make enough money to finish college. "I'd love to come back (his senior year) and play with these guys because we've got a great ball club," Smith said. "But if the opportunity comes up, I can't turn it down." Nichols said his job now is to educate Smith on the pros and cons of signing a contract as a junior in college. He fully expects Smith will be drafted, along, possibly, with Sabatini and Blumenthal. The coach said Smith’s biggest attribute is that he has "one big major league tool that makes legends" — his ability to hit the baseball with power. "It's all kind of surreal right now," Smith said. "It's kind of hard to believe. All I can do is hope and pray things will work out the way I want them to." He gives Nichols the credit for bringing out the hitter in him. "I never realized what would happen," Smith said. "I knew he (Nichols) was a good coach, but I never imagined he'd get the power out of all of us. (Antonio) Sabatini had never hit a home run and he's got 19 this year. (Ben) Blumenthal had hit eight in his first three years of college and he's got 13 this year." An added bonus to his individual success has been the strong season compiled by the Flying Fleet as a team, which finished second in CVAC play. Overall, Erskine has a record of 38-17. |
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