Meredith Smith

Smith making KC 'home sweet home'

Meredith Smith

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 1/22/07

New University of Missouri-Kansas City Head Softball Coach Meredith Smith is Tennessee born and bred. She may never have imagined her career track would land her in the middle of the Heartland, but that doesn't seem to be a problem.

"I love Kansas City," said Smith. "It's amazing to me that the program [softball] hasn't grown more in a city of so much opportunity."

That said, the coach also reluctantly admitted all of the 18-hour days she's put in since her arrival at UMKC in September 2006 haven't afforded her much time to see the sights. The team still has to tell her where the good restaurants are located, she said.

As a four-year letter winner in volleyball, basketball and softball at West High School in Knoxville, Tenn., Smith might have had expectations the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UT) would be where she would continue her career. But the coach at UT made it known that local talent was not welcome.

Smith, though receiving offers from smaller Division I schools, said she looked for a school that would allow her to continue playing both softball and volleyball. The freshman deduced early on at Centre College, a NCAA Division III school located in Danville, Ky., that softball would take her farthest.

She excelled on the diamond and even set a Division III record by hitting five doubles in the same game. Smith also claimed all-conference honors in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Though Smith enjoyed early success at Centre College, the opportunity to test herself at the NCAA Division I level continued to intrigue her. In 2001, a transfer to East Tennessee State preceded her return home to UT, the school she grew up cheering on.

Moving to Tennessee initially as a walk-on, Smith soon after began building a career that had the potential to feed her love for softball indefinitely. She worked as a manager on the staff of the new head coaches, Ralph and Karen Weekly.

While Smith served under them, the two head coaches - a rarity in college athletics - returned the softball program to prominence, culminating in a College World Series appearance for the Volunteers in 2006.

"The Weeklys were the most beneficial part of my learning [at Tennessee]," said Smith. "One had detailed schedules, and the other one was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type person. But the knowledge was so much richer learning under two head coaches. I was able to watch and work for two people, many times with differing views and get to see the end result of these discussions."

Sarah Fekete, who excelled at Tennessee during her career and won the 2006 NCAA Division I Softball Batting Championship, was in town for a softball skills camp at UMKC. She had high praise for Smith.

"She knows how things are supposed to go, how they are supposed to be done," said Fekete. "Not only is she a great coach, but she's a great person. If there was something I needed [at Tennessee], I knew Meredith would have the answer."

The new coach grasped perhaps the most glaring correction needed in turning the UMKC program around.

"The first thing that needed to be changed when I got here was the desire to win … the expectation to win," said Smith. "To be able to practice knowing that you will get better and perform at a high level on the field; it's really a whole mental aspect."

Her program revolves around discipline. There's no room for slackers on the field. This hard-nosed approach doesn't discourage players. Senior second baseman Kylie Williamson said the team has embraced these changes whole-heartedly.

"Coach Smith has come into the program and shown us that she's willing to fight for us," said Williamson. "She cares about us on and off the field."

When asked to give an example of her coach's perceived devotion, Williamson offers this example. "If we buy food and bring it to her house she will cook it for us, and she's a good cook."

When asked about the possibilities for her inaugural season at the helm of the Kangaroo squad, the coach doesn't pull any punches.

"I expect to go to tournament this year," said Smith. "I told the girls we only have one opportunity to be the big surprise, and this is that opportunity." The top four teams in the Mid-Continent Conference at the end of the season play for the championship.

There is one troubling aspect to Smith's coaching style. On the return trip after a loss to the University of Kansas, the team was forced to sing "Rocky Top," known to most outside of the state as the overused Tennessee fight song.

"I made them sing it just because they hate it so bad," said Smith. "It puts me in the mood to go out and kick somebody's butt. I love 'Rocky Top.'"

dstroud@unews.com