"I'm excited," Smit said. "Reality is setting in."
A prep standout at Tampa Alonso High School, Smit filed an impressive freshman year for the Patriots in the spring of 2010, hitting .291 with 12 doubles in 46 games. For his efforts, he was among three players to represent CF in last month's FCCAA All-Star Game.
That's where Smit's recruiting stock skyrocketed. Smit hit three sharp line drives off of the finest pitching the FCCAA has to offer, notching a double and two singles and creating a buzz among the assembled scouts and coaches in attendances. The Gamecocks were in touch the next day.
"He was the best performer there," said Patriots head coach Marty Smith.
Smit's whirlwind recruiting experience continued on his Oct. 9 official visit to Carolina, as he watched the Gamecocks upset No. 1 Alabama in front of nearly 83,000 people at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Smit is set to join Nick Ebert and Brian Buscher in a pipeline of Patriot products to man the infield in Columbia. Ebert played a role on the Gamecocks' NCAA championship squad last season, while Buscher parlayed his standout college career into a seven-year pro career marked by 164 games at the major-league level with the Minnesota Twins. Buscher figures to have a central role in Smit's development, having recently joined the Gamecocks' coaching staff. Smit will also find another recent CF student-athlete on campus in women's basketball player Markeshia Grant.
Smith expects Smit to capably fill the role the Gamecocks will lay out for him.
"He's a versatile infielder that will give them some depth," said Smith, who plans to shift Smit to second base after a freshman year spent primarily at third. "And he'll give them a solid left-handed stick."
Smit is already confident he'll step in and contribute immediately. Another year of seasoning in a Patriots uniform can only help.
"I feel like I'm ready for next year," Smit said. "Just keep working hard this year and getting better."
