RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
While many top players across the nation get signed, sealed and delivered on September 1st of their junior year (or shortly thereafter), this was not the case for 2023 pitcher Cece Smith, rated #85 in her class in the Extra Elite 100 rankings released in November.
In fact, the 5-foot-10 right-hander from Georgia—known for her mid-60’s fastball, sweeping change, late-breaking curve ball and a rise ball that jumps out of the zone for swings-and-misses—didn’t hear from anyone at first.
Although it took more than a year, Cece’s patience and hard work paid off as she committed last month to her dream school where she believes she will get the best combination of academics and athletics.
“Cece prides herself in academics and set high standards for where she wanted to end up in college,” explains her club coach, Jessica Bilz of the East Cobb Bullets. “Her desire is to major in Graphic Design and live and be a part of an art history-rich atmosphere. Playing college softball is the cherry on top.”
The athlete’s “perfect fit” list was small in terms of searching for her ideal school, but she set goals and was determined. She went to a camp at George Washington University in December of 2021 and fell in love.
“She knew GW was the place to be,” Coach Bilz continues. “Coach (Chrissy) Schoonmaker was new on the scene at George Washington and Cece loved her style of coaching and felt this could be a good fit.”
The spring and summer blew by with minimal contact from the Colonials’ coaches, but there was an ongoing relationship via emails and updates from the athlete’s side. Meanwhile, Cece went on a handful of visits to some of the top schools in the nation and received offers… but none felt like home.
“From a coaching standpoint I tried my best to help Cece cope with feelings of doubt and to keep pushing through the tough times,” remembers Coach Bilz.
Once her senior year hit, Cece switched gears and started applying to colleges that had her major while breaking every career record for her North Atlanta (Ga.) High softball team. The senior finished the fall of 2022 with over 300 innings pitched and 450 strikeouts while also getting it done at the plate with over 150 hits, 50-plus doubles, and more than 100 RBI’s.
She even joined her school’s flag football team to “just get her mind off things and have fun,” per her club coach.
After high school ball ended, her Bullets team reassembled, and the hunt was on to find that “perfect school” for Cece. She continued to email and message the staff at George Washington while continuing to shine at showcases.
In early November, the standout pitcher and hitter got back a few acceptance letters from the early applications she had sent out and was even accepted into one SEC school, but the athlete knew she wanted to apply to more schools while continuing to seek a spot on the GW roster.
The athlete’s persistence paid off and Coach Bilz was the first to find out.
“Right before the Veterans Showcase, I got an email from Coach Schoony (Schoonmaker) wanting to set up a call to chat about Cece and her process,” she explains. “I was floored, but didn’t tell Cece about the call because I wanted her to be herself over the showcase weekend, and she was selected to play in Truist Park on Sunday with her fellow players so it was a big weekend for her.”
“After I got off the phone with GW Sunday,” Bilz continues, “I called Cece after her games at Truist. She was so excited to talk about the games, and how much fun she had while I just listened, knowing I had some even bigger news for her!”
“I asked her: ‘What would you say If I told you Coach Schoonmaker would like to set up a call with you to talk about your future as a student athlete at GW?’”
Cece was speechless… could this be it?
Three days later, the senior pitcher received a call as she was walking into team practice.
Coach Bilz picks up the story from there.
“Immediate excitement rolled over her face as she sees ‘GW’ on her Caller ID and her teammates started yelling ‘Take the call, take the call!’”
“I’m yelling from the cages, ‘Go take the call!’”
“Cece headed in the office and came back out about 20 minutes later grinning from ear to ear,” Coach Bilz recalls. “The girls all stopped what they were doing and just looked at her—I think the facility stopped everything they were doing!”
“She then said: ‘GW offered me!’ and it was smiles, cheers, hugs, and a big sigh of relief and joy. It was good to see Cece really smile again!”
There’s a moral to the story that Bilz feels I important for young athletes to hear.
“We always hear about the September 1st calls,” the coach says, “but what about the over-a-year later calls? I am incredibly proud of Cece and her parents for sticking to the plan even when it got messy. Life is messy, but it’s all how you handle it.”
“Through sports we truly gain so much courage facing our fears and doubts as we learn to hold fast to people that have your best interest in mind including teammates that believe in you. Through it all, you are able to pick yourself up and keep pushing forward.”
*****
We had the chance to catch up with Cece this week to learn more about her amazing story of patience and persistence… here’s her dramatic story in her own words!
Extra Inning Softball: Working backwards, you committed on Nov. 17 to George Washington… tell us how that experience went, where you were, how you said it (I commit!) and what GW said…
Cece Smith: My commitment story is perhaps longer than others but also very similar. I first was sending emails to large schools with design programs during my sophomore year (I joined EC Bullets – Bilz in February of 2020).
When I heard about George Washington and the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, I was very intrigued and decided to go to camp in December 2021. I absolutely fell in love with GW and it pretty much stayed my No. 1 for the rest of my recruiting period.
I sent emails to the coaches for almost every tournament I played in, I kept up with their regular season games and, thanks to my mom, I went to watch GW play in the Atlantic 10 championship in Spring 2022.
EIS: It had to be rough at first for you, not hearing from college programs initially…
CS: Yes, in regard to September 1 of my junior year, I got no emails or phone calls that day or in the weeks that followed. It was extremely disheartening; although I knew that everyone doesn’t get a call that night, it still stung that I did not hear from any of the programs that I had emailed or visited up to that point.
Coach Bilz and Coach (Ally) Hannaford encouraged me to keep the faith and to keep working. They told me that my dream school was out there but we just had to find the right fit. My parents had always reminded me that this decision had to be “right school, right program, right coach.”
EIS: What do you remember of that fateful call with the George Washington coaches last month when they offered you?
CS: Coach Schoony called me to offer me a position at GW during my team practice on November 16, and Coach Bilz excused me so I could take the call. I was with my entire travel team when I got the offer, and it was super special. These girls had really supported me through this last year, and I loved sharing this moment with them.
EIS: Did you commit when you took that call or did you do it later?
CS: I took the opportunity to think through the decision and discuss it with my parents and my high school coach, Ricky Plante, who was super supportive during my recruiting process. He provided a lot of guidance and advice, and was always one of my biggest advocates. I actually made it official in his office the next day with a few of my high school teammates with me. I texted Coach Schoony and wrote her that I would love to come to GW and be a part of her team. The process was long and uncertain, but it ended brilliantly and I will get to play for the Buff and Blue!
EIS: You want to major in Graphic Design… how, when and why did you decide that major would be what you wanted to do?
CS: I have always enjoyed being creative and I have taken art classes throughout my high school career at North Atlanta High School. My parents encouraged me to find a major in the art world that would give me creative opportunities and a reliable income.
Graphic Design meets both of these requirements, and it also opens doors to many more opportunities in art that I would like to explore as I move forward in my career. I am going to start at GW in Art History and move into Graphic Design once I get settled into the program.
EIS: It was about a year ago at this time (Dec. 2021) that you went to GW and fell in love with the school… what made it feel like the one, even back then?
CS: I have been to Washington D.C. several times with my parents, and I truly love the city. I started looking at GW and the Corcoran School earlier in 2021, and I first visited campus in December 2021 (which was the first GW Prospect camp in 2021).
The camp was held at the Mt. Vernon Campus, and it was my first opportunity to meet Coach Schoony and Coach (Teresa) Fister and play on the GW softball fields. I simply loved it. I made plans quickly to come back in February 2022 for a full campus tour and a tour of the Corcoran School at GW.
I have grown up in the heart of a big city (Atlanta), and I love the urban, big city feel of GW and all of the incredible opportunities to study and play ball in our nation’s capital.
EIS: Over the year, the process played out but it took time… what was your mindset as you still were interested in GW but had to check out other schools too?
CS: Coach Bilz and my parents encouraged me to be open to different schools, and I am very glad that I took the time to visit other schools and meet with some fantastic softball coaches.
The softball programs were top-notch and I’m sure that I would have been very happy playing for these teams. I just knew, though, that I wanted to be at a larger school and in an urban environment, so I decided to wait to see if I could check all of my softball boxes.
EIS: Coach Bilz described it as “sticking to the plan.” What was the “plan” and how were you able to handle it, not getting too up or down and keep the faith, so to speak?
CS: Coach Schoony had indicated to us in Summer 2022 that she was still looking for a 2023 pitcher, so we decided to keep in touch and show her that I should be the 2023 pitcher to add to her 2023 recruiting class.
We bumped up against the application deadlines for several schools that were on my regular college list, so we prepared those applications and kept pushing forward with emails, stats and videos. I would love to say that I knew that it would happen for me, but I did not; Coach Bilz and my parents were super supportive and helped me understand that if it did not come together, I could go to a school of my choosing and pursue other softball opportunities, such as club-level collegiate sports or coaching rec leagues.
I am thrilled, though, that I will have the opportunity to wear the Buff and Blue!
EIS: Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of accomplishing in your softball field (on the field? And off?)…
CS: I am proud of how much I have grown over the years, going from rec-ball to high level travel to being committed to play D1 in college. I started playing softball at age 7; it was always a dream to play softball in college, but to see it actually come true is a really special feeling.
EIS: Finally, what advice would you give other athletes as they go through the recruiting process?
CS: My advice to other athletes is to recognize that this process may be way longer than you think. It is a grind, just like the game. I didn’t find my fit until my senior year. I was honest with myself about what I wanted for my degree and my collegiate experience, and I was willing to wait to see if I could find my true four-year home.