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Stonewall's Smith signs on with Kentucky
It's tough to find an out-of-stater who has tailored her softball resume to college better than Krystal Smith.The Stonewall Jackson senior from Bristow first began starting games at second base for the nationally-acclaimed Shamrocks organization at the 12U level under the guidance of coach Bobby Black. She's still there, years later, at 18U gold with coach Tommy Orndorff.
She's traveled the country, played the best of the best, and comes from an athletic family; her LSU-bound younger sister Hailey is also one of the bedrocks for her high school team.
So when University of Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson started scouting future second basemen, she turned to Stonewall Jackson's all-Northwest Region .492 hitter.
"I guess she could see in my play that I am fully aware of being put in high pressure situations, how to deal with them ... (and) that I have the composure, the range and the consistency to fit well into the program," said Smith.
Smith said what she liked the most about Dawson is her straight-forward demeanor and ability to produce results.
"I like direct people," said Smith. "She seemed like she really knew what she was talking about and she's all about getting the job done."
Even though her talent level far exceeds that of the varsity level, Smith mentioned that she's played four years at Stonewall because softball means something different there than it does on a travel team.
"You're basically playing for a whole school so you have an opportunity to have the school recognized for their softball program. (I'm) trying to have Stonewall recognized as a good softball program and also a good school to attend," she said, adding that "just the whole atmosphere of playing at the high school level is worthwhile and just being able to take that leadership position and teach the kids that aren't involved with summer ball.”
Smith earned a full scholarship, with half coming from athletics and half being minority-based, and she entered her senior year with a 3.395 GPA. The future finance major said when she toured the campus, she couldn't help but notice how much the student body at UK supported athletics.
"They try to get every student involved in athletics, whether you're a student athlete or just a fan of the sport," she said.
Intense basketball games along with a "beautiful" campus sealed the deal for her, leaving her to focus on making the most out of her final year at Stonewall Jackson while still preparing for the 2010 softball year.
"When I exit Stonewall, what I would have wanted to have done is I guess leave an imprint on the Stonewall Jackson softball history, receive that district title ... and having complete satisfaction with how my high school career has ended whether it's with above-.500 batting average or getting the grades I wanted," she said.
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