In The Dugout – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2003
Senior pitcher Nate Smith is one of the oldest Buckeye on the baseball roster as far as experience goes. He is the only scholarship player left from his freshman class, which entered college in the fall of 1998. He has seen every one of his teammates come to Columbus and begin their college baseball careers, helping the Scarlet and Gray develop an amazing pitching staff.
“In one way or another I have helped every one of my teammates decide to come to Ohio State,” Smith said. “I have seen every one of them begin their careers here.”
Elected as a two-time captain for the Buckeyes shows the kind of experience and leadership his teammates come to expect from him. For the Bryan, Ohio, native, just being able to play college baseball has been a dream come true.
“I am really living out a dream here at Ohio State,” Smith said. “I have always been a Buckeye fan ever since I could walk.”
Smith said the experiences he has been able to benefit from at Ohio State are just a few of many things he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
“I have been very fortunate to be able to travel around the country and experience the atmosphere of college baseball,” Smith said.
A few of those fun but competitive trips include spring break trips to Florida, including Homestead and Bradenton. This past February the Buckeyes even made a stop at the Cincinnati Reds training facility in Sarasota.
The number of fans tailgating in Florida and those who came out to support the baseball Buckeyes stunned Smith.
“We didn’t know anyone but it really felt like we did,” Smith said. “Every fan was wearing some kind of Ohio State gear. That is something you expect with football and basketball, but not really baseball. It was really nice to see that kind of support.”
Among the many fans in Florida were numerous Ohio State alumni. It is with the great networking of OSU alumni that has guided Smith into a future in medical sales – that is, if baseball does not work out.
“If the opportunity presents itself for me to continue playing baseball, great,” Smith said. “But it is not going to be life-threatening if it doesn’t happen. I want to be able to put myself in the position to do other things. I want to keep my competitive attitude and not be bored.
“The biggest thing I have gotten out of playing baseball is the people,” Smith said. “Because of that, I will have the opportunity to move on to other things beyond baseball. A lot of people have helped me and I am going to have the support of the Ohio State community for the rest of my life.”
Smith, who is a marketing major at Ohio State, said a career in medical sales would give him the opportunity to use the same type of concepts he gained from playing sports.
“I have always been involved in athletics and I have become a competitive person,” Smith said. “The medical sales field requires that type of work ethic and I think it is something I would enjoy.”
