RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Ella-Kate “EK” Smith was with her parents, Shane and Kathy Smith, and her club head coach Gary Smith (no relation), minding her own business last Friday early evening at a high school softball game when Coach Smith handed her his cell phone.
The news that EK received would leave her and her parents in tears… in a pretty good way.
Extra Inning Softball was on the other end with the news that the young Texas pitcher/hitter would, in just a few seconds, be announced publicly as the #1 player in the updated 2026 Extra Elite 100.
How did EK take the news?
“When I first found out I was in shock,” she says humbly. “I was completely stunned and did not know what to say. Softball is my passion and it just made me so proud that I was doing the right things.”
When the shock wore off, the youngest of three in the Smith family after older brother, Drew (22), and middle child Gabby (20), enjoyed the moment with her parents and coach and, let’s just say, more than a few tears were shed.
“I personally started to shake and cry because it was so unexpected,” Kathy, the athlete’s mother, recalls.
Maybe unexpected to the athlete and her folks, but not to dozens of club coaches who privately expressed their opinions that EK was the top player in the 2026 grad class because “she can beat you with her arm pitching or her bat hitting.”
Last Fall, she was the sole Impact Gold pitcher for many tournaments as the club team had a rash of pitching injuries, but still the eighth grader was able to lead her team to a 25-3 record for the Fall and the 2021 TFL Championship.
Prior to the that, EK helped the travel team make it to the PGF National Championship game last Summer with her arm and bat, and has already been invited to participate in the USA Softball High Performance Program (HPP), the Select 30 National Training Camp in Florida and the USA Softball All-American Games in Oklahoma City the last two years.
The athlete’s father was an NAIA college football lineman and the family looked to be a happy foursome when her siblings, Drew and Gabby, sought out their parents out to reveal something they had done together.
“Both of them came to talk to Shane and me to tell us they had been praying for a baby sister,” the trio’s mom laughs “and it happened to be the day I found out I was expecting her!”
Not surprisingly, EK took to sports at a very young age, but it was in soccer that she first shined and, inadvertently, caused some tears to be shed in futbol… but on the other sideline.
“She started with soccer when she was 3,” Mom remembers, “and was moved up to an older age group because she made the boys cry when she stole the ball and made goals.”
Softball came later and it wasn’t until 10U – when the athlete went back to try out for a team she previously didn’t make – that her path in softball started to become apparent.
“EK had no one who wanted her going into 10U that first year,” Kathy remembers, “and then went to having a choice of teams in the second year of 10U.”
But that progress didn’t happen without a few bumps in the road: most notably, at one point Ella-Kate was told by a coach that she would “never be a pitcher.”
“Honestly, EK had power but didn’t always have control of it,” her Mom admits. “She was pretty devastated. We talked to her about going to some tryouts. At one tryout, the coach told us he wished he had a team for her age group because he would want her to be the pitcher. She looked so surprised and even asked, ‘You see ME as a pitcher?!?’”
It was a pivotal moment as her next club team had a coach that pushed her to work through her challenges, be it a walk or a hit.
Before long, current coach Gary Smith entered the picture and he, remembers EK’s parents, saw the potential in the young athlete.
“EK had previously came out to a tryout at a young age, but the first time we interacted was during a National Team Tryout for our 07 12U team,” the coach begins.
“But EK was not there to attend the tryout, she was there to attend a softball camp that was being held at the facility directly after our tryout was completed. I had seen EK pitch in games around the fields and I had heard people say that she had ‘decent speed’ and that she had tremendous power at the plate, but that she had no control pitching and that she couldn’t hit good pitching. She was sitting in the stands directly above where I was standing, and I turned around and motioned for her to come down.”
“I asked her if she wanted to warm up and pitch and hit, that we needed some arms to throw in our scrimmage that was already taking place. I told her she could hit off the other pitchers.”
“Well, EK ended up striking out several batters including some of the top hitters in the country at the times and hitting a couple deep bombs that almost cleared the fence off some of the top pitchers in the country back then. EK had ‘IT’ and it was obvious to me. I remember telling people, ‘One day this kid is going to be good. Really good. Mark my words… I guarantee it.’”
That was about three years ago and, then, she was “throwing average to slightly above average speed for her age,” Coach Smith says of her abilities at that time.
“EK did not have command to throw more than 1-2 innings during any given game.”
But then, came the metamorphosis that turned the caterpillar into the butterfly… in a manner of speaking.
“She decided that she wanted to compete with the best of the best,” the coach remembers. “EK wanted to put the work in, and she wanted to develop to be able to compete at the highest levels in softball.”
The young pitcher also started to attend pitching lessons with Kendra Pate and threw on average six out of seven days throughout the week with her dad and team catchers at a local park.
Each week, she set a goal of gaining more control and, though she had but a few pitches to start, after three years of hard work, EK today cruises in the low 60’s touching 63-64 mph game speed with command of pitches that we can throw on any given count including a game-altering change-up.
“My jaw drops every single time she throws a change-up,” says Coach Smith. “It’s one of, if not the dirtiest change-up, that I’ve seen.”
Today, the pitcher is known for her excellent command and her skills at making batters swing and miss as over half of the cuts taken on her pitches end with zero contact. Hard hit balls are few and far between and this, Coach Smith adds “is because of the movement on all pitches she throws.”
College coaches know who she is and even opposing club coaches share kudos after facing her and the rest of the Impact Gold team.
“College coaches rave about her presence in the circle and the passion she plays the game with,” continues Coach Smith. “Opposing coaches, after facing EK in the circle, have commented that they have never gone up a pitcher of her caliber and that she’s fun to watch.”
The championships and personal acclaim have deservedly come, including her No. 1 ranking in the 2026 Extra Elite 100, but what’s equally impressive about EK is the person she is off the field of play.
The word “kind” is repeatedly used by those who know her.
“She’s a winner,” her coach adds, “but she is the kindest winner that I’ve ever been around.”
“When playing,” Momma Kathy agrees, “EK is a fierce competitor who enjoys being on the field and she encourages her teammates and rises up to challenges. Off the field, she is genuine and what you see is what you get. She is kind and considerate of others and is a joy to be around.”
Coach Smith compares his star player’s personality away from the game to the Ella-Kate who is a fierce competitor between the lines.
“Yes, she is one of the kindest and most competitive kids that I’ve ever met,” he explains. “I love that kid and I treat her like she’s my own. I expect the absolute best from her, nothing less, because she has it in her. I give her zero slack and she’s held to a standard most wouldn’t be able to handle, but EK’s never backed down, she’s never made excuses and she’s always given 100 percent.”
The athlete’s mother says her daughter’s “success” as a person is equal to the accomplishments in athletics and she and her family couldn’t be prouder.
“It is the person EK is and the one she is becoming,” Kathy states. “She is genuinely a really great person who is a joy to be around. She is strong and independent but also friendly, kind, humble, and compassionate.”
“EK doesn’t take things for granted and believes in working towards her goals. She knows she isn’t perfect, but she is always working to be better. Ella-Kate is passionate about playing and she sets up her schedule—we don’t have to push her. She makes it fun and rewarding to be a part of her journey.”
The Impact Gold head coach says his pitcher/hitter, though still just a young teen, is already a positive influence on those who watch and admire her.
“EK is a kid that all coaches and parents should want their kids to be like,” Coach Smith believes. “She’s the definition of a leader and this kid has ‘success’ written all over her. This won’t be the last time you hear about her. Whoever lands this kid will be getting a gem, she’s the real deal.”
And Coach Smith adds a bigger prediction too:
“I believe that you will be watching EK on TV someday while she’s playing in the College World Series.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
*****
Our Extra Inning Q&A with EK Smith…
Is it more of a compliment to your talent and hard work put it to this point or is it more daunting in that you now will be known as “the No. 1 player in the class?”
Playing on the Impact Gold National – Smith team you are always everyone’s No. 1 team to take down. The players on this team have played at such a high level for so long we are used to the big stage, and we own our losses and our accomplishments 100 percent so I feel this #1 ranking is a huge compliment.
It confirms all the extra practices and the blood and sweat put into this game is worth it. It made me feel like I am on the right track and to keep working hard.
I understand you and your family got emotional after you were told… what was the feelings you all were having?
My parents have always wanted the best for me and are there at every practice, every game, and are just people I can talk to so when I found out with them it was definitely emotional and they were just very proud of me.
I mean, I could not have done this without them, all the nights my Dad was out on the bucket catching and my Mom with me at practices so we were just all overjoyed when we found out.
After having a few days to think about the honor what are your thoughts now?
It has been unreal! At first, when I found I was just so shocked it did not really sink in. Now that it has been a couple days it definitely still feels unreal, but it feels amazing to be honored as #1 for the class of 2026.
It is not only a reflection of me but my teammates as well because they are the ones out there with me on the field. I give my all, they give their all and I know they always have my back.
Let’s talk about your softball career… tell us how you first got into the sport and what attracted you to it? And how old were you?
I started back when I was five years old and it was kind of by accident. I was playing soccer with an 8U team and the dad of one of my soccer friends coached a softball team and did not know I was younger.
They asked if I wanted to come out and try it and we thought “Why not?” because it would be just a coach pitching nice and easy. I showed up the first day and it was a fielding practice. All went well so my mom signed me up. Next practice was hitting and it was on a pitching machine. I could not hit a ball at all. We later moved to Texas and somehow it became the sport I loved.
What came easier to you at first… hitting or pitching?
Hitting definitely came easier to me. Pitching was something that I had a hard time sticking with when I was younger. I probably quit pitching about three times before it finally stuck. Hitting always came natural since I just had natural power.
When did you realize you had a chance to be pretty good in softball?
I had moments when I was younger but it wasn’t until I joined Impact Gold National -Smith that I really started to understand the mental side of hitting and pitching. The coaches always want us to learn why we are doing things and what we are trying to accomplish.
This took my confidence to a new level, and I started performing more consistently. It took time but the coaches always pushed me and it helped me grow into the player I am today. I never take it for granted and will always keep working to be better.
Was there a moment you remember when it hit you that you really loved playing?
When I was in 10U, I hit my first home run over the fence and I had everyone sign my ball. My coach wrote on the ball that he was so proud of me and that feeling of accomplishment made me love the game.
Did you in the past do other sports and are you doing any others now?
In 7th and 8th grade I played on an “A” team in volleyball, an “A” team in basketball, did track and field and I am also on the soccer team.
What’s been your favorite softball experience or memory?
My favorite softball experience was during the Winners bracket finals at PGF National Championships. The atmosphere was something that you just cannot put into words. It meant something and you could feel it. It was the biggest softball game that I have been given the opportunity to be the starting pitcher in my life.
What’s been your toughest time in softball?
One of my toughest times was figuring out where I belonged. When I was in 8U, 10U and first year 12U, a lot of people did not think I could be a good pitcher. Because of this, I mostly played all the other positions outside of pitcher and catcher. I eventually learned to have confidence in my pitching and it has become the way I get the job done for my team. To I bring energy and give it all out on the field with my team.
Have you had any times where you thought about quitting or questioned yourself because the road got too tough at any point?
I definitely struggled as far as wanting to play when I was younger. I played a lot of sports when I was young and softball did not come the most natural to me and was definitely not my best sport to start. I had some hard times and had a lot of fails. They say this is a game of failure, but the failure has helped me grow.
What would you say has been the biggest thing to help you get to where you are today, considered the #1 player in your class?
The biggest thing that has helped get to where I am today is all the support I have around me.
My parents have been a big part of me being able to play softball and my teammates are the ones always with me with everything we do on the field. They are my extended family and you want to play well for them.
Also, my coaches I have to credit my coaches who gave me the confidence and pushed me to be better each and every day especially my team’s coach Gary Smith, my pitching coach Kendra Pate, and my hitting coaches for 12U & 14U: Coach Connor and Coach Vesely.
If you were to scout yourself, what would you say are the things you do best? And areas you’d like to work on?
Strong power hitter and pitcher with a wicked change up. High softball IQ. Continue to work on levels with the rise ball and a drop ball.
Off the field, describe yourself… are you quiet? Funny? Introspective? Goofy? Talented? Awkward?
Off the field I am pretty easy going, I joke around with my friends and always get my work done. I enjoy hanging out with friends or staying home with family.
What’s something about you that is unusual or different that most people don’t know?
I was called “Pipsqueak” when I was little because I was so small. I was 18 pounds until I was 3 and my parents thought I always be tiny. I had other plans!
What makes you happy in life?
I enjoy going on adventures and hanging out with people. I like to go on drives out on backroads and just jam out to music.
What makes you nervous or scares you?
I am scared of the deep ocean waters because I feel like I am going to be eaten by a shark.
Describe yourself on the field in one word…. And describe yourself OFF the field in one word….
On the field: sparkplug. Off the field: easygoing.
Finally, where would you like to be in 10 years? 20 years?
In 10 years, I would have wanted to win the Women’s College Worlds Series and pursue a career in softball or medicine. In 20 years, I hope to have either a successful softball career as a coach or medical practice, be married and have a couple of softball players of my own.