Warriors' Smith headed to Charlotte

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 20, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Jabo Fulghum describes him as a workaholic.

He's a blue-collar player who brings his lunch pail to work to the baseball field every day and is usually the last one to leave -- once the lights are turned off.

Somewhere, Zack Smith knows someone is working as hard as he is at the moment to become a better player, a better leader, a better teammate and a better person all-around.

Smith relishes the motivation.

He eats, sleeps, breathes and lives the passion that started when he swung his first bat and learned how to oil and break in his first glove at 4 years old.

"My dad (Roger) has always been pushing me, telling me that there's always somebody out there who is doing more," Smith said. "I always try to use that as motivation. I use other players that I see who are better (than me) as motivation. (I) love the competition.

"It's always a challenge, is never easy."

Smith will face a new challenge once he completes his senior season at Eastern Wayne next spring. The utility player signed a national letter-of-intent to play at the University of Charlotte.

East Carolina courted him along with UNC Wilmington.

Charlotte seemed the best fit, especially with the possibility of stepping onto the field as a freshman. The coaching said he could see time at either shortstop or behind the dish, which - says Smith - is where he prefers to play.

"I feel like my best thing is my defense, my arm, my glove and my hands. Catching really helps out," he said. "I think I hit pretty good, too. I've probably got to work on quickness, more side to side because I'm OK with straight-line speed."

Just one of four players to participate in all 20 of the Warriors' games last season, Smith batted .269 and led the team in RBI (15) and home runs (2) and had the fourth-most hits (18).

On the mound, the 210-pound right-hander logged a 5-2 worksheet with a microscopic 0.79 earned run average (ERA). He retired 44 batters on strikeouts in 53 innings of work, and held opposing teams to a .185 average.

His versatility helped EW post 12 wins and advance to the postseason.

"He's just a team player, at least that's what he's been for me for three years," Fulghum said. "We've had him catch, we've had him pitch, we've had him play short, we've had him play third (base), we've had him play second (base) and he's succeeded at all of them.

"I knew all along his best position was going to be behind the plate, but he can play the middle. I even told him 'Zack, I don't think you've really tapped into what you can do on the mound."

Nonetheless, Smith's presence on the rubber commanded respect from opposing teams. He answered Fulghum's call on every occasion and gave maximum effort, even if the result didn't always favor his team.

Charlotte finished 19-29 last season, including an 11-19 record against Conference USA opposition last season. The 49ers anticipate returning 25 players, including several who sat out as red shirts.