When April 18 rolls around, there will be a unique appearance at the Bridgeport High School baseball field inside the Wayne Jamison Complex. It will not be unique for the person making the appearance, rather, just another day at the park.

 

But it will be unique for his friends. It will be unique for his family.

 

On that day, Bridgeport High School graduate and 2014 state champion Greg Smith will be at the field, the same field his father Greg played and starred on and, at times growing up, coached his son of the same name. That, in and of itself, is not unusual. Since he graduated nearly eight years ago, Smith has been on that field many times.

 

This time, however, he will not be wearing the colors of the Indians. He will not be rooting for the home team.

 

Instead, Smith will find himself in the dugout of the visitors. Not to keep book or to help out in a casual manner, but as the new head coach of Lincoln High School.

 

“You have to treat it like another game and another day playing baseball. At the same time, it will bring back a lot of memories,” said Smith. “Coaching against Coach (Robert) Shields is something I look forward to because I learned a lot from him, and that includes going up against the best you can face.”

 

It is not hyperbole to say in this part of the region, or even the state, which going up against Bridgeport is going up against the best. The Indians have won seven straight titles, including last year’s Class AAA crown in its first year moving up after reclassification.

 

Smith know all about the title runs. He helped get things started on the ground floor. He was on the first team in the current seven-year run (the school and Shields have nine total) in 2014 with a Class AA title win against Independence High School.

 

“My sophomore and junior year I played shortstop, but I had an injured shoulder and moved over to second,” said Smith.

 

The injury did not deter Smith. Instead, he flourished after it and after the move to second starting with helping the Indians get that 2014 crown.

 

Smith then showed his love for the game was no fluke – nor was his ability. He was a four-year starter at West Virginia Wesleyan after a redshirt freshman year for legendary, and now retired Bobcat Coach Randy Tenney.

 

During his time in Buckhannon, he finished in the top 10 for base hits in school history. He ended his time there with 175 base hits, while playing stellar defense at second base. He also ended his time there with a degree in Business Administration that included a minor in Criminal Justice.

 

While his playing days were complete, his coaching days were just beginning. In fact, it goes back to his days while still in college.

 

Not so ironically, Smith coached the junior varsity squad for the Bridgeport American Legion team for five years. For the past two seasons, he got his feet wet at the high school level serving as an assistant coach for Grafton’s baseball squad.

 

And now he is a head coach. It is a culmination of something he has wanted to do for a long time.

“It’s kind of been a dream of mine because I never wanted to leave the game because of how much I love it,” said Smith, who works as a sales consultant when not on the diamond. “I want to give back to the game and maybe for a kid who didn’t have the father figure I did to help out that taught me about baseball.”

 

The well-spoken Smith may not have been known to be well-spoken in the past. He, self-admittedly, did not like to be vocal, which can be a problem in the coaching profession.

 

“When I started, I reached about to Coach Shields and mentioned it to him. The only thing he said about me not liking coaching was because I was quiet,” said Smith. “He was right. You have to be vocal, and coaching has helped me tremendously and you definitely have to be vocal as a head coach.”

 

Of course, getting the opportunity to be a head coach at the high school level is not easy. Many coaches do it for years. Some, like Shields, do it for decades. However, the opportunity presented itself at Lincoln and Smith took a crack at it.

 

“Someone reached out to me and gave me a heads up the coaching position might be open. I was interested because I wanted to be a head coach and I coached a group of Shinnston boys during my time in Legion. What I liked about them was they came to work every day with the goal to get better and win a state championship,” said Smith. “That got me interested, and then I knew the dream of being a head coach was at my fingertips.”

 

Smith put his name in the hat. And it was his name pulled.

 

The BHS alum has already been busy getting the team ready with practice officially starting Feb. 28 but utilizing a few of the flex days programs are allowed to get started a few days earlier.

 

“Those first few days were to introduce myself to the team. They’ve dealt with a lot of change and adversity quickly,” said Smith. “I like what I see with this team, and I even have brother of two of those boys I coached in Legion.”

 

The kids he is coaching are Lance Hostutler (brother Logan played Legion), and Levi Moore (brother Hunter played for Legion).

 

“We’ve got good seniors and they haven’t blinked since we started. We’re senior driven, nine total on the team,” said Smith. “This will also be the first year with a jayvee team. You don’t want to cut a kid with potential because you don’t have the numbers. The idea is to keep them involved and get them as many as at-bats as possible when their time comes.”

 

The team’s time will come this Wednesday. On that day, March 23, the Cougars will get things started on March 23. They will host Buckhannon-Upshur.

 

Then, after plenty of games will be under their belt, Lincoln will head across town to Smith’s old stomping grounds. Make no mistake, he is coming in to win.

 

“It would mean a lot to get a win and not to brag about it, but because of how successful Coach Shields has been,” said Smith. “That’s a huge step to beat a former coach that is that successful that you just happen to have a relationship with.”

 

Smith expects to have a large gathering at that game. He also said he anticipates plenty of support from the Lincoln faithful. I fact, he has already seen it.

 

“I am so pleased and shocked in the most pleasant way with the community and how they support this team and have already stepped up to show their support,” said Smith. “We had a field day to get the playing field ready and we had so many volunteers come down and help, even people that didn’t have kids on the team that put in the work. It’s unreal the amount of community involvement, and that’s important.”

 

One other thing will be important is one of the coaches on his staff. To his side will be his father, now “the other Greg Smith,” when it comes to Harrison County baseball and something I am certain he is fine with.

 

“He’s going to be a volunteer assistant,” said Smith. “He’s coached me since I was little. Between him, Coach Shield and Coach Tenney and picking their brains, I hope I have what it takes for success because we have the other things to win.

 

“We have a lot of starters returning,” he continued. “It’s a good opportunity because I’ve been around enough already to know anyone can come back and say they’re good, but when you seem them already putting in the work you know they want to prove it by taking the next step and winning a state title. Hopefully, my experience will help them get there.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Greg Smith at the Lincoln High School field, while he's shown with his father Greg after the 2014 state title win against Independence High School. In the third photo Smith, second from right, is shown with his teammates after the state championship. In the next picture, Smith is shown fielding the ball at second base for West Virginia Wesleyan, while he's shown with an honor during his senior year with WVWC. All photos courtesy of Greg Smith.