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2013 FURMAN UNIVERSITY p BASEBALL A former baseball and basketball standout at Furman, Ron Smith is now in his 20th season at the helm of a Paladin baseball program he has revitalized and positioned as a strong competitor in the Southern Conference. In 2007 Smith became Furman's all-time winningest baseball coach. He has averaged 25 victories per season during his two-decade Paladin tenure — a level of accomplishment that takes on new meaning when considering the fact that prior to his arrival Furman had recorded just one 25-win campaign in program history and only one winning season since 1976. Smith has directed Paladin baseball to eight 25-win campaigns and five 30-win seasons. Punctuating the marked increase in success are a SoCon Tournament championship (2005) and a pair of tournament runner-up finishes. Taking over a moribund program in 1994, Smith's first team managed only 10 triumphs. By 1997 Furman baseball posted a 29-23 record and, in the process, established a new high for season wins and finished as SoCon Tournament runner-up, which it repeated again in 2000. In 2001, Furman's program made another notable leap as the Paladins notched a 30-25 overall record and 18-11 conference mark, good for a third place regular season finish. Included in the 2001 campaign, which yielded the most conference wins in program history, was a 5-4 victory over nationally fifth-ranked South Carolina. The 2003 campaign marked another milestone for Furman baseball as the Paladins won a then-school record 32 games and posted impressive wins over North Carolina State, South Carolina, and a pair of late inning, come-from-behind victories over Clemson. The triumph over the Tigers in Greenville was the first by the Paladins in 20 years, and the decision in Clemson represented the first Furman win there since 1964 and first regular season sweep of the Tigers since 1960. The 2003 season also yielded several impressive individual accomplishments asTom Mastny led the NCAA in earned run average (1.09) and was named SoCon Pitcher-of-the-Year and the school's first All-American prior to being selected in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. In addition, pitcher John Stallsmith was tabbed to the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America squad. In 2005 Smith authored a new chapter in Furman baseball history by directing his Paladins to the SoCon Tournament champi- 8 Head Coach Ron Smith onship and program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1991. Forced to win three straight league road games on the final weekend of the regular season just to qualify for the league tournament, the Paladins ran the table in Charleston, knocking off No. 1 seed and 20th-ranked College of Charleston in the opening round, No. 4 seed Elon in round two, and No. 2 seed Georgia Southern twice to secure the tournament crown. Furman's surprising run to the NCAA Tournament, which ended following a 5-4, 10-inning loss to nationally fourth-ranked Georgia Tech and setback to Big 10 Conference champion Michigan, capped a season that also included a road victory over 18th-ranked and eventual College World Series participant Tennessee and a twogame sweep of 13th-ranked South Carolina — the Paladins' first over the Gamecocks since 1953. Furman followed up the 2005 campaign with a 32-23 season FURMAN WINS OVER TOP-20 RANKED OPPONENTS UNDER RON SMITH Year Opponent Rank Score 2001........@ South Carolina........................ 5th.....................5-4 2003........South Carolina.......................... 17th.....................7-5 Clemson.................................... 13th...................10-8 @ Clemson................................ 13th...................12-9 2005........@ Tennessee............................. 18th.....................3-2 South Carolina.......................... 13th.....................6-2 @ South Carolina...................... 20th...................11-5 College of Charleston................ 20th.....................9-7 2006........@ Clemson.................................. 6th.....................5-4 College of Charleston................ 17th.....................5-4 2007........@ Clemson................................ 16th.....................6-4 2008........@ South Carolina...................... 10th.....................4-2 2009........@ Clemson................................ 19th...... (14 inn.) 4-2 2011........South Carolina............................ 4th.....................4-2 in 2006 that included a 16-11, third place league finish after the Paladins had been a consensus No. 7 league pick. Fueling the strong run was a squad that set new school standards for batting average (.324), runs (410), hits (637), home runs (52), RBI (369) and slugging percentage (.472), among others. Included in the campaign was a 5-4 win at No. 6 Clemson. In 2008 Smith's Paladins racked up other program milestones, including a record 33 wins in a 33-24 campaign that also featured a 17-10, third place Southern Conference finish and school record 13 straight league victories. Included in that stretch was a three-game sweep of the College of Charleston, the first administered to the Cougars by any foe since 2003, and a 4-2 road win over 10th-ranked South Carolina. Keying Furman's signal 2008 campaign was the SoCon's top pitcher, Jay Jackson, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round for the MLB Draft. Jackson and former Paladin teammate, pitcher Matt Klinker, a 15th round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, pitched in the Triple A ranks in 2011. The list of accomplishments have continued over the last four seasons, among which are a 4-2, 14-inning victory against 19th-ranked Clemson, three wins over Georgia, including a 10-9 decision in Athens in 2010 that marked the Paladins' first win over the Bulldogs since 1979 and first win in Athens since 1925, and a 4-2 triumph in 2011 at Fluor Field over fourth-ranked and defending national champion South Carolina, which would go on to successfully retain its national crown. From dramatic improvement on the field through strong recruiting, commitment to the game's fundamentals and execution, student-athlete retention and graduation, and a noticeable improvement in facilities, Furman's baseball program has taken giant leaps during Smith's tenure. Indeed, in six of the last seven years Furman baseball has led all South Carolina diamond programs in NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR). The program's transformation has also been aided significantly by his impressive fund-raising ability, which over the years has led to the construction of a press box, installation of 300 permanent seats, addition of a scoreboard and message center, and installation of lights at Furman Stadium, thereby adding to the attractiveness of one of the league's most congenial stadiums on one of the country's most beautiful campuses. In 2003, thanks to Smith's diligence, Furman completely renovated and expanded the stadium's dugouts, and in 2006 the program received another boost with the construction of a covered hitting area down the left field line. In December of 2012, primarily through Smith's drive and leadership, Furman completed Phase 1 of a $3.5 million in facility enhancements at Latham Stadium with the construction of the 11,000-square foot, $2 million Furman Baseball Complex, featuring coaches' offices, locker rooms from coaches and players,