Ron Smith, Head Baseball Coach

A former baseball and basketball standout at Furman, Ron Smith enters his tenth season at the helm of a Paladin baseball program he has revitalized and positioned as a strong competitor in the Southern Conference.

During his nine seasons at Furman, Smith¹s teams have registered continued improvement, moving from ninth place in the conference to a third place finish in 1996. In 1997 Furman baseball posted a 29-23 record and, in the process, established a new high for season wins and finished as Southern Conference Tournament runnerup. In 2000, Furman again finished as the conference tournament runnerup, ousting the College of Charleston and The Citadel before losing to Georgia Southern in the championship game.

In 2001 Furman¹s program made its most notable leap under Smith as the Paladins notched a 30-25 overall record and 18-11 conference mark, good for a third place regular season finish. Included in the 2001 campaign, which yielded the most regular season and conference wins in program history, was a 5-4 victory over nationally fifth-ranked South Carolina. The 2002 season produced another milestone in Smith¹s career as he recorded his 200th victory against The Citadel. In addition, he helped guide Furman through the Southern Conference Tournament, where the Paladins ousted Wofford, The Citadel, and UNC Greensboro before falling to eventual champion Georgia Southern one game shy of the championship round.

From dramatic improvement on the field through excellent recruiting and retention to a noticeable improvement in facilities, Furman baseball program has taken giant leaps during Smith¹s tenure. The transformation of Paladin baseball has also been aided by his impressive fund-raising ability, which helped lead to the construction of a press box, installation of 200 permanent seats, and the addition of a modern scoreboard and message center. The latest accomplishment is the installation of lights at Furman Stadium, adding to the attractiveness of one of the league¹s most congenial stadiums on one of the country¹s most beautiful campuses.

A 1979 Furman graduate with a degree in political science/education, Smith was a three-year starter and three-time letterwinner as a shortstop for the Paladins from 1975-77. As a junior, in 1976, he batted .245 and helped lead Furman to a 23-16 record, Southern Conference title, and an appearance in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, where the Paladins defeated both Virginia Tech and South Carolina before being ousted by Clemson. That season still stands as one of the finest in Furman baseball history and was only finally surpassed in wins by Smith¹s 1997 Paladin squad.

In addition to enjoying a fine collegiate baseball career, Smith proved to be an outstanding basketball player during his tenure at Furman. Known for his competitiveness and tenacity on the court, he was a four-year starter at point guard and played on squads that twice won Southern Conference championships and competed in the NCAA Tournament. As a senior he captained Furman¹s 1977-78 team that defeated Clemson, as well as North Carolina and North Carolina State in the North-South Doubleheader. Those wins still stand as the last Furman triumphs over the Tigers, Tar Heels, and Wolf Pack in basketball.

Following the 1977 baseball season, Smith was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball Draft and played on various minor league squads that also included future major leaguers Ryne Sandburg, Lonnie Smith, George Vukovich, Ozzie Virgil, and Bob Walk. He advanced as high as the Phillies¹ AAA Oklahoma City affiliate before retiring as a player in 1981.

He remained with the Phillies organization for the 1982 season, managing squads in both Sarasota, Fla., and Helena, Mont. Shortly before concluding his tenure in professional baseball in 1982, Smith assumed the basketball head coaching job at Miami University in Middletown, Ohio. From 1981-87 he posted a 116-59 record and won three conference championships. While serving as basketball coach at Miami University-Middletown, he began his career as a teacher and administrator in the public schools in 1984, when he assumed the baseball head coaching duties at Middletown High School. While there, he directed his team to a 42-32 record over a three-year period. In 1989, Smith took over as head basketball coach at Middletown High School, and over five seasons directed his program to a 75-42 record, including Greater Miami Conference, sectional, and district championships in 1989, for which he was named conference coach-of-the-year.

A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Smith, 47, holds a master¹s degree in educational leadership from Miami (Ohio) University. He is married to the former Beth Jordan of Houston, Texas, and has a daughter, Emily, 17, and three sons: Devin, 12; Blake, 8; and Peyton, 6.