Coaching veteran Smith has never seen a losing season
For some 22 years the name Scott Smith has been synonymous with
coaching youth sports in the area.
During that period Smith has guided hundreds of up-and-coming
athletes in everything from baseball and football to basketball and
softball. And what’s most impressive is that in all those years
Smith has never coached a team to a losing record.
Coaching veteran Smith has never seen a losing season
For some 22 years the name Scott Smith has been synonymous with coaching youth sports in the area.
During that period Smith has guided hundreds of up-and-coming athletes in everything from baseball and football to basketball and softball. And what’s most impressive is that in all those years Smith has never coached a team to a losing record.
“From Little League on, I have never had a losing record ever,” said Smith, who is in his sixth season at the helm of the San Benito High softball program. “I don’t know what it would be like to suffer through a losing season.”
Considering all of the teams and athletic talent in the area, that’s a statistic that Smith is proud of. It’s also a fact that probably would never have come to fruition had Smith not had a keen eye for spotting talent and a knack for getting the most out of his athletes – male and female.
“To get a guy to perform at a top level, you can often challenge him. If you tell him something negative, a guy will break his back to prove you wrong,” said Smith. “Girls tend to believe everything you tell them, so you need to use more positive reinforcement with them.”
His positive reinforcement has boded well on the San Benito High softball field. Since taking over the Baler softball program in 2001, Smith has developed it into one of the most respected ones in the Central Coast Section.
In his first season as the Balers head coach, his team went 23-10, marking the first time ever that the Baler softball team had a 20-plus-win season.
In 2002, his team set another school record by jumping out to a 14-0 start. The following year, the Balers won 25 games to set another school record.
And the last two years his teams have won 22 games each season.
“Winning at least 20 is kind of an annual goal of ours,” said Smith, whose 2006 squad has already won 23 games.
Another goal is to win a CCS title. It’s the only one that has eluded him so far.
“We finished second in 2002 (Live Oak) and 2004 (North Salinas) but haven’t won it all yet,” he said. “I think this could really be the year. When you get to CCS you need a kid – one who can strikeout a lot of people. We’ve had good pitchers but never a really dominant one. I always felt like we really had good talent but we always needed a power pitcher.”
For the last four seasons the Balers relied on pitcher Dani Hernandez to get the job done. Although Hernandez was always a strong All-League pitcher with an impressive ERA, Hernandez never got to enjoy a CCS title before graduating last May.
This year the Balers have relied on freshman pitcher Marissa Ibarra.
“She has the potential to be one of the best,” said Smith. “She’s been starting all of the games for us. It’s funny; I was a little concerned at the beginning of the season because we were so young. Now I think we have a great chance to win it all. For this freshman and sophomore class, it will happen. I’d like it to happen this year because a lot of the seniors are so special to me.”
The Balers wrapped up the regular season this week, finishing in second place behind the Notre Dame Spirits.
With Notre Dame and last year’s defending CCS champion Acorns of Live Oak both competing in a different division in the playoffs, the Balers should be a top favorite to clinch the Division I title.
“Carlmont is probably going to be our biggest concern in the playoffs,” said Smith, who told his team this week that if they didn’t make it to the championship game this year that the season would be considered a disappointment.
Comments like that and high expectations year in and year out are a big reason why Smith is so successful.
In addition to his success with the Balers, Smith also has coached Salinas Storm club softball teams for the past seven years. During his stint, he coached the club’s 18 Gold team to the Northern California Championship five years in a row. That same team also made it to the National playoffs every season he was at the helm.
In 2002, his 14-under Salinas Storm squad finished fourth in the National tournament that was held in Oklahoma.
Smith credits those successes to having “real talented kids” but it’s clear that the real reason behind them is his coaching prowess.
“I’m very committed,” said Smith. “I love it and have a passion for coaching. I’m very dedicated and I get the kids to believe in everything that I teach. And if I don’t have the answer for something, I’ll find it out.”
No where was the latter part of that statement more true than during the years when his teams had to play against North Salinas’ and face 2004 graduate Monica Abbott, who is now the No. 1 pitcher in the nation and the star for the University of Tennessee’s Lady Volunteers.
Even with the 6-foot-3 Abbott, who made tossing no-hitters a common occurrence, hurling screaming fastballs at his team, Smith found a way to beat the Vikings several times.
“To match her speed we would use a pitching machine that week at practice. Normally I don’t use pitching machines but we had to get the team comfortable with her speed and only a machine could throw that hard,” said Smith.
With his batters ready, or at least now more comfortable with Abbott’s speed, he would then work on his defensive changes for the game.
“I’d tell our pitcher to pitch everything inside on them, which forced them to pull every ball. Then I’d shift everyone to the left. It worked a lot of times,” said Smith, who factors in everything during games. “I shift people around all the time. At home games with the wind blowing in hard from right field I do the opposite, and that works well too.”
Although Smith wants his players to have fun and enjoy themselves, he is all business at practice and during games.
“I demand a lot from the kids. My philosophy has always been to tell the kids what they need to do to get to the next level,” said Smith, who has coached roughly 20 athletes that went on to compete at the Division I level in college. “I believe that if we are prepared as best as we can be, the winning will take care of itself.”
To put a winning team on the field takes a lot of hard work and dedication. In addition to the two games each week, he has his team practice five to six days a week for three hours each day.
“I don’t think I’ll ever burn out on it,” said Smith. “I enjoy helping kids because when they aren’t doing well, I take it personally.
Smith knows that he can be hard on the kids, but he does it for a reason – to help them down the road.
“I tell them it’s not all about fun. My job is to get them ready for the next level. Then, when they get to college, it’s easy because they’ll be able to play for anybody.”
Although he can be demanding, his players have bought into his philosophy hook, line and sinker.
“They know what I expect,” said Smith. “It’s a good feeling to show up at practice a little late and the team is already out in the field doing something. Then when I get there I hear them using some of the same terminology as me. That’s my real reward. I would love to see them all someday go on to coach.”
In addition to his strong knowledge of the Xs and Os, so to speak, Smith has a strong ability to recognize talent quickly. At some of his tryouts 60 kids will show up vying for 14 spots on the roster.
A native of Salinas, Smith attended North Salinas High where he graduated in 1976. During his high school years, Smith played shortstop and pitcher on the school’s varsity squad all four years.
In 1995, he moved to Hollister with his wife Allison and their three children and has been there since.
When Smith is not coaching he works as a superintendent for Tony Jaurique Homes, a high-end home builder located on the Monterey Peninsula. Interestingly, it was his coaching skills that landed him the job with Jaurique Homes.
“I had been working in produce for a number of years and was starting to get too busy with that job to be able to keep coaching the Storm,” said Smith. “Tony’s daughter was on my team. After hearing that I might stop coaching, he called me up a week later and offered me a job so that I could keep coaching. That tells you the kind of guy Tony is.”
That also tells you the kind of coach Smith is …
