RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
It was inevitable that senior infielder Alaina Smith from Woodstock, Georgia, today considered one of the top players in her class, would grow up to be tough, especially being the youngest of four children with her older brothers all being successful wrestlers.
“There was always a ‘wrestling mentality’ instilled in all of us,” Alaina explains. “You had to earn what you wanted through hard work and were always 100 percent accountable. From a physical standpoint, I had to compete with no breaks being a girl in anything we did and I was also used as a wrestling drill partner for my brothers. They didn’t take it easy on me!”
Her father, Jim Smith, adds: “One thing that has molded Alaina, good and bad, is being the youngest of four successful wrestlers who all had collegiate opportunities. I wrestled and was a high school head wrestling coach as well so, unfortunately or fortunately, the wrestling mentality is something she couldn’t avoid.”
“She had to be tough,” her dad continues, “which I would say helped her today turn out to be a strong, confident–but very modest–person. Alaina was never treated like a ‘girl’ as they saying goes. She was just one of the four.”
Her former club coach with the East Cobb Bullets, Cliff Byars, has seen the softball standout grow up and he concurs that whatever “training” she may have had at the hands of her brothers has turned out well for her… and her future college, North Carolina State.
“Alaina is a power hitter with speed and range in the field like no other,” he begins. “The kid is a beast now, she’s strong and kills the ball.”
Her father was the head wrestling coach at Valparaiso High in Northwest Indiana just outside of Chicago, and it is likely Alaina picked up her love of softball from him.
The family was already very athletic–all but one of Jim Smith’s nephews and nieces played a sport collegiately; one nephew, Mike Sullivan, played baseball for Ball State and was also drafted by the Detroit Tigers.
Jim looked to be a bright future in baseball as well until he shattered his arm in high school and needed four surgeries, effectively ending his chance for a college and possibly a pro career, but he did find a very successful niche in slowpitch softball.
“There are many levels of softball, including slowpitch, and most people just think of the rec league down the road, but I was able to play around the country at the highest level with paid expenses and a World Series MVP as well. I played the slowpitch travel softball circuit around the country for more than 15 years.”
His success at the slowpitch level caught the eye of fastpitch coaches at nearby Valpariaso University and Alaina’s father was asked to be an assistant for the school. It didn’t hurt that his own daughter was growing up to be one of the best players in the country also.
“I got to be part of thousands of swings and reps from years of travel softball,” Jim Smith concludes. “A swing is a swing and fielding is fielding.”
One thing that has really accelerated the athlete’s development has been serious weight training. She has gone from 5-foot-7, 135 pounds to 150 pounds of muscle in the last year–all through hard work.
From a wrestling family to a softball one, Alaina is continuing the tradition of college-bound athletes and some feel she could be the best one of them all.
“She has progressed more than any kid on the (Extra Elite 100) list,” believes Coach Byars. “She will light it up at NC State as a freshman.”
*****
NAME: ALAINA SMITH
Hometown/ST: Woodstock, Georgia
Grad Year: 2021
Position(s): MIF/UT
Club Team: Atlanta Vipers – Holbrook
High School (City/ST): Etowah High School
GPA: 3.7
College: Committed to North Carolina State
Other Sports? Track/field Golf
You have an interesting family background being the only girl after three older brothers came along, who all wrestled as did your dad. What was that like?
All three of my older brothers were successful wrestlers. All three had collegiate offers with one deciding to wrestle in college at Indiana University. My dad was a wrestler and high school head wrestling coach as well. It was always a highly competitive household even playing board games!
Scroll down to hear more from Alaina including what else she’s done to improve her strength and power on the field…