Tuesday, July 17, 2018
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Former Central Washington University baseball player and 2018 GNAC Baseball Player of the Year James Smith III has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
"It's a tremendous blessing," Smith said. "It's an opportunity I've been working toward my entire life and I've had a blast playing and learning with the organization. It can be a grind, but I'm excited to experience the journey."
Smith led the Wildcats offense in 2018, culminating in being named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He also earned ABCA/Rawlings DII All-West Region First Team honors, All-GNAC First Team, and was a D2CCA All-West Region First team selection.
Appearing in all 53 games for head coach Desi Storey and the Wildcats last season, Smith hit .386 with 12 home runs, 53 runs batted in, 22 doubles, two triples, an on-base percentage of .466, and five stolen bases.
"Extremely deserving," Storey said of his former outfielder. "Not just a great ballplayer, but also a great person. He worked his tail off to get better and get this opportunity. I couldn't be more excited for him."
Smith finished second in the GNAC in average, third in slugging percentage (.693) and on-base percentage, first in runs scored (58) and hits (78), second in RBIs, first in doubles, third in home runs, first in total bases (140), and led the GNAC in batting average with runners on (.431), average with RBI opportunities (.455), and two-out RBIs (22).
Smith reported to the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Phillies East and has appeared in 15 games (as of July 16). He is currently riding a four-game hitting streak, while the GCL Phillies East are atop the GCL Northeast division with a record of 14-9.