That doesn't seem right. I've heard about that coach annd heard his still an athlete. Apparently he used to play Triple AAA ball and supposedly he's still crazy good.
Here are his credentials:
Tracy Smith
Tracy Smith is in his second season as Indiana baseball's head coach after posting a 22-34 record in his first season in Bloomington. After a slow start, Indiana came on strong toward the end of the season in 2006. IU won 11 of its final 18 non-conference games and garnered its best conference record in three seasons.
Under Smith's direction, three players - Keith Haas, Reggie Watson and Doug Fleenor - earned all-conference accolades for their efforts on the season. Additionally, eight Hoosiers were named Academic All-Big Ten, and pitcher Clint Crosier was named a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner. Crosier also became the third Hoosier in history to earn Academic All-America honors.
Smith is no stranger to Bloomington as he spent two seasons (1995-96) as pitching coach at IU. In Smith's final season, the Hoosiers boasted the lowest ERA in the Big Ten, won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the 1996 NCAA Midwest Regional, where the Hoosiers won their first NCAA game. All four of Indiana's primary starters saw significant drops in their ERA from 1995 to 1996, and three of the four saw their ERAs drop more than two runs. Three of Smith's pitchers were chosen in the Major League Draft in 1996.
Smith, who won 317 games at Miami University prior to coming to Bloomington, has a coaching style based on a straight-forward philosophy on the game of baseball.
"Keep it simple. We are not into a bunch of gadgets or trickery," Smith said. "Baseball has been around for a long time. You have to pitch it, you have to hit it and you have to catch it. We are going to preach doing these things and doing them well. It is a very simple game when you break it down. We will pay attention to detail and make sure we are fundamentally sound. We will spend a lot of time teaching the game. Pitching and defense is going to be the main focus of our team."
In nine seasons at Miami, Smith completely changed the fortunes of the RedHawks after inheriting a 12-40 ballclub. Miami reached the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament nine times, including six championship game appearances and the 2000 and 2005 titles. Smith amassed a 317-220-1 (.590) record with Miami and a MAC regular-season mark of 152-95 (.615). He led the RedHawks to eight straight 30-win seasons, marking only the second time the program had ever accomplished that feat, and he finished his career in Oxford third on the all-time wins list.
Smith led the RedHawks to a 45-18 (.714) mark in 2005, his second 40-win season (40 wins in 2000), and matched the school record for victories in a season. Miami's .714 mark was the 12th-best winning percentage in the nation. The RedHawks captured the MAC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, its second trip to the postseason under Smith's tutelage, where it set an NCAA Regional record with 35 runs in a 35-8 victory over Quinnipiac.
In 2005, the RedHawks ranked among the nation's top 20 in ERA (16th, 3.33), triples per game (19th, 0.38), and stolen bases per game (16th, 2.08). In addition, two-sport athlete Ryne Robinson (football) ranked among the top 20 in the nation in triples and stolen bases.
Miami finished the season with a 16-6 mark on the road, the fifth-best record away from home in the NCAA, with all four teams holding better ledgers ranked in the top 25. The RedHawks also rebounded from an 8-9 start to win 37 of their final 46 games.
Under Smith, Miami did not shy away from facing stiff competition. During non-league play in 2004 and 2005, the RedHawks played a total of eight NCAA Tournament teams, including taking two of three games from nationally ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., during the 2005 campaign. This marked the Crimson Tide's first home, non-league series loss since 1993.
Smith also played an instrumental part in Miami's facility fundraising effort. In 2002, the RedHawks opened a new chapter in its tradition-rich history with the debut of Stanley G. McKie Field at Joseph P. Hayden Jr. Park. McKie Field boasts a fully operational press box, a 12-seat luxury suite, two heated dugouts with bathrooms, the Smokey Alston luxury room, two separate bullpens from the field, as well as an indoor hitting facility in left-field foul territory.
After capturing the program's first outright regular-season title in 22 years, Miami notched a program-record eight players on the 2005 all-conference teams, breaking the record six RedHawks that earned selections in 2003. Additionally, Smith added 2005 MAC Coach of the Year honors to his impressive resume.
During Smith's era, Miami players picked up 16 All-MAC first team honors and collected five All-America selections. In addition, 19 student-athletes secured Academic All-MAC honors, including 2000 & 2001 Verizon Academic All-Americans Tom Yost and Luke Reinhart, respectively.
In his final five years at Miami, Smith mentored 20 different RedHawks who were either drafted or signed Major League Baseball free agent contracts, including two in 2005. Six players were drafted in the top 10 rounds, including one second-round pick, two fifth-round selections, and one each in the sixth, eighth and ninth rounds. That marked the second-highest number of top-10 picks in the MAC over that five-year span.
The 2000 Ohio College Coach of the Year, Smith directed that season's squad to its first MAC Tournament Championship since 1983. The RedHawks also went on to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1983, playing at the Arizona State Regional, where they notched a victory over Creighton.
A four-year letterwinner from 1985 through 1988, Smith was a shortstop, third baseman and pitcher for the RedHawks. In 1988, Smith captained the team to a 37-22 mark, the sixth-highest single-season win total in Miami baseball history.
After graduation, Smith spent three seasons as a minor league pitcher and infielder in the Chicago Cubs' organization from 1988-1990.
Smith began his coaching career in 1990 as head coach at the Miami University-Middletown campus. In the fall of 1992, Smith participated in the Major League Scouting Bureau's Professional Scout School as a representative of the Chicago Cubs.
During the 1993 and 1994 seasons, Smith was an assistant coach at Miami. Over that span, Smith served as hitting instructor and worked with infielders and outfielders before heading to Bloomington.
Smith, a native of Kentland, Ind., earned his bachelor's degree in education from Miami in 1989 and completed a master's degree in sport organization from Miami in 1992.
Tracy and his wife, Jaime, reside in Bloomington with their three sons, Casey, Ty and Jack.
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