Eddie Smith still gets a special feeling when he passes through Centralia.
“Even just driving through I-5, seeing exit 82,” Smith said. “The goosebumps start coming.”
Smith’s college baseball career began as an infielder at Centralia College 21 years ago. Last week, Smith returned to The Evergreen State, as he was named the next baseball coach at the University of Washington.
“It’s something I couldn’t have even fathomed at the time,” Smith said of what his past self would think now. “That would have been beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”
The journey back to his home state was by no means linear. After attending North Thurston High School in Lacey and playing two years at CC, Smith headed to Indiana to play for Notre Dame.
Smith unknowingly began to mold his future coaching style during his playing days, taking bits and pieces from each of his coaches, including former CC baseball coach Bruce Pocklington and former Notre Dame coaches Paul Mainieri and Cliff Godwin (one of Mainieri’s assistants).
“The coaches that I had taught me about the love of the game, the love of the process,” Smith said. “The college game is so much more demanding of your time. I started loving that process.”
Smith’s coaching career began as an assistant to Brian O’Connor at Virginia in 2007.
O’Connor had already taken Virginia to the NCAA postseason three times when Smith arrived in Charlottesville, and while Smith was there, the Cavaliers turned into a perennial national title contender.
In five seasons, Virginia made the College World Series twice, and they also made an appearance in a Super Regional.
“Working with (O’Connor) really kind of molded a foundation,” Smith said. “I’ve always just tried to take the best of all the places that I’ve been and build it into our own styles. Trying to bring out the best and do the best that you can.”
After one year each at Santa Clara and Notre Dame, Smith took the head coaching job at Lower Columbia College. In four years at LCC, the Red Devils not only had success on the field, going 146-49 and winning two NWAC championships, but Smith also said that he got to “learn the landscape.”
“It all comes down to recruiting,” Smith said. “I’m just so excited about being able to go all over the state and offering guys the opportunity.”
The LCC pipeline carried over to Utah Valley, where Smith held his first Division I head coaching job from 2022 through this past season. Most recently, former W.F. West and LCC standout Hunter Lutman committed to Utah Valley in April.
“I trusted them, and I knew what I was getting out of the conversations with them,” Smith said of the LCC staff. “We knew what we were getting out of the person and the player.”
Now, back in Washington again, Smith is hopeful that that pipeline will carry over. And when he heads far enough south to recruit a player, he’ll still be able to pass by exit 82.
“It was such a great time in my life there,” Smith said. “I thought it was such a great springboard from high school into the real world. I’m so thankful for those years.”
