Anna Smith – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 5, 2002
The Ohio State softball team put together one of its best seasons in program history this past year with many players contributing to the success of the team. One of those individuals was Anna Smith, a solid outfielder wielding one of the hottest bats in the nation. The Walnut, Calif., native was second in the nation with a .512 batting average after racking up 106 hits, the ninth-most in a single season in NCAA history and the most in both the Big Ten and OSU record books. For the 2002 Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year, softball has become a fun sport in which she has excelled. If not for her mother, the splendid season Smith had may never have come to reality.
“My mom made me play softball when I was five,” Smith said. “She told me to try it and said I would enjoy it. I was mad when she made me start playing, but I started to enjoy myself. The toughest thing was that I didn’t want to tell her I was having fun. Once I told her I enjoyed softball, she was excited I was having fun and told me I would do well.”
As the saying goes, mother knows best.
“She was very reluctant to play,” Lorraine Smith said. “She was a very active child and I knew she would enjoy playing so I took her to the field and told her to go play. Luckily, as soon as she stepped onto the field, she fell in love with the game. When I would put her to bed, she would ask me questions about the game and that showed me she was curious to learn more. From that point, I knew she was hooked.”
Her reluctance to play softball and try something new was tested again when it was time to head off to college. In the fun and sun of southern California, Anna Smith dreamed of playing for a major NCAA Division I program. Nearly 2,225 miles east was Ohio State and her chance to shine.
“It was tough for her to come to Ohio State and play softball,” Lorraine Smith said. “She had played so long in California that she knew it would be tough to play for an instate school so she had her mind set on playing far from home. It was hard for her to leave her friends and family and the weather of southern California. After a year in Columbus, though, she was having a wonderful time and didn’t want to leave.”
Anna Smith agreed with her mother.
“She is right,” Anna Smith said. “Adjusting to Ohio State was one of the toughest things I have ever had to do. I had to basically leave everything behind and start my career in Ohio. Being that far away from home was tough, but adapting to the weather was even tougher. I had never seen snowfall before arriving in Columbus. As a freshman, I never thought I would enjoy myself here as much as I did.”
After settling into her new surroundings and getting into her class schedule to work toward a degree in textiles and clothing, Smith went to the field where she found it easier to adapt.
“Getting out and playing softball was the best thing for me when I came to Ohio,” Smith said. “When I was a freshman, I was an occasional starter and was able to contribute right away. I settled in, played my best and was an All-Big Ten selection. From there, I set the single-season stolen base record as a sophomore, going from nine as a freshman to 37 in my second year.”
For Smith, everything was going well. She entered her junior campaign looking to improve even more and take a leadership role with the team. Mid-way through the year, her season caught a bad break, literally.
“Unfortunately, the more memorable experience I had in my junior year was when I broke my hand,” Anna Smith said. “That was tough for me because it ended my season prematurely and that was a terrible feeling. I wanted to contribute for my team but I couldn’t because of a broken bone. The only good thing about the season was that we defeated Michigan.”
As any true leader, Anna Smith rebounded superbly in her final campaign. She rebounded so well that she became the first OSU softball player to earn First Team All-America honors. Though she earned the accolades with a stellar average and solid hitting, the intangibles are what brought her to the top of the collegiate ranks.
“I think she did so well because of her determination and focus,” Lorraine Smith said. “When she broke her hand, she was very frustrated she could not play everyday and help her teammates. She made sure she got healthy and worked on her game over the summer so she could come back and be a leader as a senior.”
With all the tough breaks and great performances, Anna Smith’s transition to playing in Ohio still was tough on her parents.
“Not seeing her play was the worst part of her moving to Ohio,” Lorraine Smith said. “When she was growing up, I don’t think we ever missed any of her games. She played non-stop from age five and traveled around when she was older. When Ohio State came west, we got to watch her then, but not as much as we wanted.”
Not seeing her daughter play was tough for Lorraine Smith, especially because she never expected her daughter’s career to be as sensational as it was.
“We never thought she would do as well as she did,” Lorraine Smith said. “We thought that, not because we didn’t think she was good, but because she is not a high profile player. She just goes out there and does the job that is asked of her. She is not a power hitter and that is where the attention goes.”
Anna Smith agreed with her mother’s assessment.
“I also never dreamed I would have the career I did before I came to Ohio State,” Anna Smith said. “I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to play with a team that would do as well as we did. Individually and as a team, I never thought we would accomplish what we did in the last four years. This program has come leaps and bounds since I was a freshman.”
With the success Ohio State enjoyed being a big surprise to Anna Smith, the news she received June 20 had to be even bigger for the left-handed hitter. Smith was invited to USA Softball’s national team training camp and nearly made one of two teams. A week after her disappointing news of not making the team, her telephone rang with some better news.
“USA Softball called and told me I had a roster spot with the Elite team,” Anna Smith said. “It was a great surprise and an extreme honor to be selected to try out for the team. It was an even bigger surprise when I made the Elite team. Again, I never thought I would be able to play at that high of a level. I joined the team and we went to a tournament where we almost won. Now I know I can play at that level and I hope to continue playing for the United States.”
Smith and her Elite teammates went to the Canada Cup (July 12-21 in Surrey, British Columbia) and advanced to the championship final after upsetting the USA National Team, the most dominant team in the world. Though Smith did not see as much playing time as she wanted, she did enter games as a pinch runner to display the speed she used in college to set the OSU stolen base record for a career. Her family now knows there is an opening for her to play at the next level.
“I always told her she could be an Olympian,” Lorraine Smith said. “She never wants to believe me but I think she knows it is true. I told her if nothing else, she could be a runner for the team. If you are competing with power hitters, you could go and score runs with your speed. Her running has always given her an opening and that is all she needs.”
And running is just what she did after the season was over. She ran away with numerous awards given by her coaches and selected by her teammates. Gracious in her acceptance of her honors, Smith still had a tough time believing it was true.
“When I found out I was the athlete of the year at Ohio State, I couldn’t believe it,” Smith said. “I never thought it was possible to have my name be a part of something so prestigious. There were a lot of other fine female athletes I went up against and I didn’t think I would come out on top. I just enjoy playing softball and never expected or hoped for any of the recognition.”
Though she may not have expected or hoped for the recognition, her mother knew she could do it.
“Anna always worked hard to improve herself and all these honors and awards are proof of her success,” Lorraine Smith said. “She had enough confidence in her game and herself to try and improve. I can’t say enough how proud our family is of the way she has played throughout the years and the woman she has become. Whether playing softball or working to get her degree, she has been successful. I know that will never stop being true.”
