The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/976701
MAY 2018 ■ 79 ■ PACK PAST have been a problem against a Wolfpack of- fense that scored nearly seven runs a game despite hitting just 12 home runs all year, but the Southern Cal defense was the best in the nation. In the sixth inning with center fielder Steve Martin on first, Clem Huffman hit a line drive between center and right field, but a diving catch prevented what could well have been a triple or inside-the-park home run. In the seventh inning, the Wolfpack put together three consecutive singles to load the bases, but Southern Cal pitcher Bob Vaughan forced a double play, and Martin was tagged out at home on a grounder to third base. Frye took over for Smith in the eighth inning, but the Wolfpack, for the first time all season long, could not put a run on the scoreboard in the 2-0 loss and finished tied for third in the nation with St. John's. "We came so darn close," Smith said when the 1968 team held a 50th anniver- sary reunion during the weekend of the Notre Dame series this April. "We showed we could compete with anybody." Smith returned as a starting pitcher in 1969, going 4-4 with a 3.39 earned run av- erage. Truth be told, though, Smith wanted to be a hitter. He thought he might have a chance to play professional baseball if he was an everyday player. "I had always wanted to hit," Smith said. "That was my passion, to be a hitter. Com- ing out of high school to NC State, I was expected to pitch. "With Coach Esposito, if you were a pitcher you were a pitcher. If you are a hitter you were a hitter. I was a pitcher most of the 1968 season and most of my junior season. Deep down inside, though, I wanted to hit." He talked to Esposito after the 1969 sea- son, found a team in the Cape Cod League that agreed to let him play outfield and came back as an All-ACC outfielder his senior year. "I got my dream job," Smith said, "I got to hit." Smith had a team-leading .379 batting av- erage with five home runs, six doubles and three triples as a senior. That was enough for the Cleveland Indians to take him in the fifth round of the 1970 MLB Amateur Draft. "It was another dream come true for me because I grew up as an Indians fan," Smith said. "The first World Series I re- • Lush, verdant landscaping • Nationally accredited, locally owned, not-for-profit • Dedicated to independence, security and peace of mind y p LIFESTYLES CREATED ONE PERSON AT A TIME. • A 42-acre urban oasis LIFESTYLES CREATED ONE PERSON AT A TIME. S pringmoor is 1500 Sawmill Road 1500 • Raleigh, NC 27615 C 27615 CALL 919-848-7252 FOR YOUR FREE INFORMATION KIT WP "I had always wanted to hit. That was my passion, to be a hitter. Coming out of high school to NC State, I was expected to pitch." ■ Smith