By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Specialist
They call her Sambino.
The first time a softball coach used the name on Samantha “Sam” Smith, he had to explain that baseball legend Babe Ruth was also called “The Great Bambino.” It sounded pretty good after that.
The Athens High School junior started playing softball at the age of 7. Her coaches, which included her father, Eric Smith, recognized quickly that she had an innate talent for the game.
“She could field a ball at third base and throw it on a rope to first base harder than most men could,” said Smith. “And when she came up to bat, all the infielders would back up to the grass, and the outfielders would back up to the fence because she hit the ball so hard and far.”
The only things that have changed since those early days are her skill level and list of accomplishments. The Lady Hornet Softball team just wrapped up its season with a second-place finish in district and a playoff appearance. Sam, who made the All-District First Team for the third year in a row, holds a .489 batting average, .598 on-base percentage, 44 hits, 37 runs batted in, and nine home runs on the season. Those nine home runs bring her high school career count to 18, making her the all-time home run leader for Athens softball. (She has another 11 in select ball during the same time period.) To no one’s surprise, Sam gets intentionally walked quite a bit. “I get so irritated,” she said. “I want to hit.”
Typical of most driven athletes, Sam is not satisfied with her performance this season. “I set a goal that I was going to hit 20 home runs this year, and I had nine,” she said. “So I have a ways to go.”
If putting in hundreds of hours of practice is the key to a 20-home run season, she may very well meet her goal next year. As soon as the high school season ends, select softball games start. In fact, she starts practicing select ball while the school season is wrapping up. Then the summer is spent competing in tournaments, wrapping up when the school year begins. “So there’s about three months off,” she said. “I never get sick of it, but I get a little tired sometimes. I still love it.”
“Sam has always worked hard in practice and put in extra work to craft her skill,” said her father. “Many days, she and I would go to the fields, and I would pitch to her till I couldn’t lift my arm or if I was unable to go, she would set up her net in the yard with a tee and hit balls or set up her hit-around and hit forever.”
That determination on the field is also reflected academically. Sam is in the Pinnacle Early College High School program at AHS and has an A average in her classes, which include those at Trinity Valley Community College where she just made the Dean’s List.
“She has worked super hard to get where she is, and she plans to continue to work hard both academically and physically,” said Tracye Smith, Sam’s mother. “Her determination and her drive are truly amazing.”
Sam has verbally committed to play softball at Henderson State University in Arkansas, where she will likely study biology, perhaps toward a future in the medical field.
Her collegiate career is just over a year away. So Sam has another season to be a Hornet and enjoy her teammates. “One of the things I really like about softball is that it’s such a team sport. You have a family around you. If you make a mistake, they’ll pick you up. If they make a mistake, you pick them up,” she said. “And it’s just fun. Winning is the best feeling.”
Sam is quick to give credit to her talented teammates, as well as the coaches who push her. “They know how good of a team we are, and they push us more in practice — to hit the ball harder, run faster. Practice is hard core.”
Head softball coach Michelle Jones said Smith is wired to give 100 percent all the time. “She’s also kind, respectful and would do just about anything for her teammates,” Jones noted.
That, more than anything, makes her parents proud.