Eddie Smith, the recently appointed head coach for the University of Washington baseball team, carries fond memories of growing up in Olympia, where he first became immersed in local baseball and athletics across the Pacific Northwest. Smith was engaged in sports from a young age, acquainted through his father, Ed Smith, who was a longtime baseball, basketball and football coach for North Thurston High School.
Growing Up, University of Washington Baseball Coach, Eddie Smith, Embraced Local Athletics
Smith recalls the many times that he and his father would play backyard baseball, and attend games of the Tacoma Rainiers and Seattle Mariners. Smith, who also attended a medley of athletic events at the University of Washington in his youth and as an adult, is excited to embrace his new title as baseball coach for the University of Washington.
“It’s pretty awesome, really, really great honor,” says Smith. “I think it’s something where I grew up going to a lot of Husky sporting events as a kid. Never would you sit there and think, ‘oh, you’re gonna get to be the coach here one day.’”
As a young athlete, Smith participated in local youth baseball leagues and was a member of the baseball team at North Thurston High School, which brought home a state championship during his senior year in 2002. For the first two years of his college career, Smith remained in Western Washington as a member of the baseball team at Centralia College, before transferring and playing baseball at Notre Dame in Indiana. Smith says his initial foray into coaching was following his sophomore year at Centralia College.
“I got the chance to coach the North Thurston High School summer league team,” says Smith. “And I mean, it was a bunch of 16- to 17-year-olds, and I was 20. And I had no idea what I was doing, but I know we had a lot of fun.”
When Smith concluded his time as a player, he was interested in transitioning into a coaching role, envisioning a possible career path as a teacher and coach at a local high school. New possibilities emerged out of college as Smith was offered a director of baseball operations role at the University of Virginia, eventually becoming an assistant coach at the school.
After Coaching Out of State, Smith Is Excited for a Return to the Pacific Northwest
Smith says that through the years, his career has taken him across the United States, coaching for both community college and university baseball teams. This includes as a hitting coach at Louisiana State University and more recently as the head baseball coach at Utah Valley University.
“I think that wide variety of experience has shown me a lot, opened my eyes to a lot of things,” says Smith. “It’s been a blast. It’s been a really fun journey.”
In his initial weeks as head coach at the University of Washington, Smith has already been hard at work, collaborating with baseball program staff on assembling and recruiting the team roster, while also looking ahead to the start of fall practices in September. According to Smith, this fall practice period is a vital time for the team’s growth, and is akin to spring training. During this period, the team will also play a small series of games against opposing teams, and after a brief hiatus in the winter, the official baseball season will begin in February.
“There’s only 300 of these jobs in the whole world, and so you kind of go where the job is,” explains Smith. “And so the fact that it lined up, that I get to coach at the place I grew up going to games at, it’s really amazing. And I’m just so thankful for that.”
Smith says that through the years, many young athletes across Washington state, including himself, have held University of Washington athletics in high esteem, and in his role as head coach, Smith is particularly looking forward to inviting players to be a part of the program.
Smith Holds Close Memories of North Thurston High School Team and State Baseball Championship
When reflecting on his hometown origins in Olympia, Smith says memories of his senior year at North Thurston High School standout, including playing on a state championship winning team alongside many longtime friends and teammates. Smith can recall the year-long expedition to a state title, the many times he and his teammates ended up in second place while trying to reach the top in varying competitions, and the bond that formed between the group throughout the process.
“It was just, you know, that team camaraderie that we had, and we played hard, we played for each other,” says Smith.
In his role as head coach at the University of Washington, Smith hopes to cultivate that connection and sense of community for the team, the kind that can leave a lasting legacy.
“I think that’s the special thing about college baseball, is that you get to go into a program and share that experience with your teammates,” says Smith. “And hopefully here at Washington, we have a similar sort of experience.”
To learn more about the baseball team at the University of Washington, visit the University of Washington Athletics website.
