July 26, 2010

During her orientation period before officially beginning in the office this week, new South Carolina softball coach Beverly Smith sat down with us for an exclusive interview for GamecocksOnline.com.

Coach, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us and talk. Congrats on the new job. How have things been the last 48 hours?

Exciting and extremely busy. I’ve had all my specific meetings I needed, compliance and financial aid, all the questions I needed answered to be able to talk to recruits and make decisions about the current team. All of them very important and necessary meetings as we get started.

You’ve spent a great deal of your life in Chapel Hill, playing and then coaching at North Carolina.

That was a tremendous experience, both with the coaches that worked there, I feel like I have learned so much from not only Donna Papa, the staff that worked with us in softball, but the support staff, the other coaches. And the head coaches that I’ve had the experience to work with there have been amazing, and I really think it’s that experience that has allowed me to come here and be able to take over this job.

You’ve played for and now worked with one of the legendary softball coaches. What have you learned from Coach Papa that will be most helpful in this new role?

I’ve learned so much from Donna, and I think being with her so long, I was able to touch every part of the softball program. I’ve had experience with all aspects of the program. But I think the main thing that I took from Donna is probably about the student-athlete experience, the relationships with the players and what an enjoyable process that can be. When you recruit kids, you get to know them and their families. You have them in your program for four years and then you stay in touch with them after. I think that whole family environment is something she’s done really well and has developed over time. That’s probably the most rewarding part of our jobs, all the relationships you get to establish.

You were born in Asheboro, N.C., but you were raised in Houston, Texas. What drew you back to the Carolinas initially and what brought you back after your stint at Houston?

I grew up on Tar Heel basketball, so my family was always big Tar Heel fans, so it was great when I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina to go to school and play at UNC. After graduating, I went back to Houston and got into coaching. I was teaching and coaching at Episcopal High School in Houston and loved it. When I got into coaching originally at the high school level, it was just to give back to the community. I thought, “This will be fun.” I didn’t think it was anything I wanted to do. But once I got into coaching, I loved it. I really enjoyed that and started teaching and coaching full time. About that time, Coach Papa called me. She had just gotten her first full-time assistant coach in 1998. The opportunity to get in and coach at the Division I level and at my alma mater is what brought me back to the Carolinas.

What is your favorite memory from your playing days?

Some of my fondest memories are of playing here at South Carolina and playing Florida State, because those were the top-notch programs, the teams you wanted to beat because they were at the top of the game at that time. I distinctly remember playing games at Beckham Field and at Florida State. Those were some of my best memories of the best competition that we faced.

You’ve played and coached at what is now called Beckham Field. How do you think it stacks up to Anderson Stadium and the other stadiums you’ve visited?

When I came on my interview, I went out to the field and got the same feeling I had when I played here. I love the field itself. It’s great. I think there are some upgrades that can be done to really make it a nice, enjoyable place to watch a game and play a game. I think the administration has great plans to add to the stadium and make it spectacular. Now we can look around and draw ideas from the best stadiums in the country. I’m excited about the future of Beckham Field. Currently, we have 700 seats in the stadium, and I hope to see them filled. I think it’s going to be a great place to play. We can certainly create a fantastic environment to play in.

You’ve led the recruiting efforts for the Tar Heels in recent years. What is your philosophy in regards to recruiting?

There is an amazing amount of softball talent out there. I think the key is to find the right players to fit your program and your coaching philosophy. If you can do that, you’re going to be very successful. I think you want to look at players with tremendous talent, but they have to have the academics and the character. I think that’s the tricky part sometimes, finding the kids who are really competitive, self-motivated and have a strong work ethic. Those are the kinds of things I’m trying to dive in and find out about the player, because that’s the player you see over four years improve, really want to bleed for their school. Those are the qualities you look for, because there is plenty of talent. It’s finding that competitive kid, the strong character that’s going to take you places.

As a pitching coach, can you tell us your basic philosophy for your pitching staff?

Staff is the key. Everyone thinks that if you have one really good pitcher in softball, you can go a long way, and that’s true to a point. But when you start talking about having to pitch in the SEC, you truly are going to need a staff. Finding players that can complement each other is important. When I’m out recruiting pitchers, I’m looking for strong fundamentals, pitchers that will develop and improve over time. I don’t really want them to be picture-perfect now. I want to be able to see the potential in a pitcher as I watch them.

In the same thought, what will your team’s style and identity be?

I would want any team of mine to have a strong presence on the field. I wouldn’t want you to be able to tell if we are up or down in a game if there wasn’t a scoreboard out there. They’re going to play until the last out. They are going to play hard. And we’re certainly not going to back down against anyone. I love a team that looks like they are enjoying every minute of it, and that presence that you give will do a lot for a team.

What approach do you see your teams employing on offense?

I’m anxious to get to see the team and get to meet them and evaluate our strengths offensively. I think we’re going to have to manufacture some runs. We’re going to have to find ways to win games, and we can do that. I’m anxious to get started, see the team play and be able to evaluate their strengths. As a coach, I’m willing every year to change, to find ways to win every year, because our team will change every year. That’s my job, to find ways to win based on the personnel that I have. I think my philosophy will change every year as the team changes.

North Carolina has had a lot of success since your return to the program. What was the most important part in creating that success?

Obviously, a lot of it is being able to have the talent on the team. I think everyone understands you’ve got to have the talent. I think the big key for us was the quality of the players we had. I mean in the sense of the character and the leadership that we had going on. I think that gets you through so many different types of situations and the ups and downs of a season. The quality and the character of the kids you have help in recruiting; they help you as coaches. That has infiltrated, and that is such a positive thing going on right now. That’s been our strength lately, good kids.

What during the interview process made this jump out as a place you’d like to start as a head coach?

I could see everything on the rise. I went into the Dodie and saw what a new building looks like after it’s built. I saw the new training table in the academic center, and it’s gorgeous. You can see, not just a plan that they are talking about, you see bulldozers and dirt and fences and things moving in the right direction. For me, things were changing and moving in a positive direction. You could sense that. It was the people I met. The staff that was here was extremely impressive. Everyone I met during my interview was first class. That just set a feeling that this school is going somewhere, and I wanted on board.

Talk about being a head coach in the Southeastern Conference, which has proven to be one of the elite softball leagues in the country.

I’m excited. I was out recruiting, and I’ve seen the recruits that the coaches from these schools are bringing in. I’ve talked to the coaches, and they’ve told me a little about what it’s like to go through SEC games. To be working day in and day out against some of the top coaches in the game is really exciting for me.

Let’s try some quick-answer questions if we can. Here we go:

What is the current playlist on your MP3 player/computer or CD in your car?

I’m a country girl. I love all kinds of music, but the songs that get played over and over on my iPod are country. I’m a Sugarland fan right now.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?

Mr. Brooks

Favorite movie of all time?

Shawshank Redemption

Favorite athlete of all time?

Michael Jordan is a huge favorite of mine. I’ve followed him. I read all his quotes. I’m a big quote person, and I have a lot of his quotes. Growing up and being from Texas, I loved Nolan Ryan. I watched him all the time. As an athlete, I could look back and appreciate his longevity and how good he was over time.

As a pitcher who could hit, which do you prefer: AL or NL rules in baseball?

You’re going to be surprised by my answer, because I prefer the American League where the DH hits, just because those pitchers in the National League look like an out to me at the plate. I enjoy the strength a DH brings and the duel between the pitcher and the hitter.

And finally, how are you going to answer the phone in the office?

I have always answered the phone “Carolina Softball,” so for me it’s perfect. I don’t have to change.