Smith to play baseball at Erskine College
Zain Smith has been playing baseball almost since the day he was born with one goal in mind — to continue his career at the college level.
On Thursday, Smith took the next step toward making that goal a reality as he signed with the Flying Fleet of Erskine College, an NCAA Division II program in Due West, South Carolina.
“It’s like everything has finally just happened,” Smith explained with a big smile on his face. “Everything that I’ve wanted, everything that I’ve tried to get, everything I’ve pushed for, has finally led to this moment.
“(Erskine) is a Christian school and it’s beautiful there. They have a beautiful campus and a beautiful field. Everything there is nice about it. I love it there.”
Smith, has been a fixture in the lineup for the Ramblers ever since his freshman season and continues to be one of the team’s top performers at the plate, behind the dish and in the field.
He was a Catoosa-walker Dream Team honorable mention selection as a sophomore in 2021 and made the second team as a junior in 2022, along with being voted second team All-region in 6-AAA.
Last spring, the catcher led the Orange-and-black in hits (26), triples (2) and on-base percentage (.442) and tied for the team lead in runs (24). He also collected 15 RBIS and ended the year with a .310 batting average.
Lafayette head coach Chris Base noted that Smith has been entrenched as a varsity starter since his very first game as a freshman.
“He someone that can do pretty much everything on the field,” Base said. “He’s got all the tools. He can throw, run, catch, hit for average and hit for some power. It’s kind of remarkable that he can still run knowing how much he catches, but he’s just got everything you would want in a ball player.”
“I hope I can (offer) them a solid player who gives the effort and gives everything he’s got every time out, even in the weight room,” added Smith, who said he was being recruited as a catcher. “I just want to give them a good ball player.”
Base also said he was proud of Smith for the leadership he’s developed over the past three-plus years.
“He’s taken multiple players under his wing, counseled them and has been that person for them,” Base explained. “He had someone (Blake Mann) do that for him his first couple of years here and I think that’s something he’ll pass on in the real world, that leadership ability.”
Smith, who will study sports management at Erskine, will also have a familiar face with him when he moves to the Magnolia State later this year as Jathan Harding, his current LHS teammate, also signed with the school this past November.