Ben Smith is entering his 21st year in William Carey Athletics. A native of Laurel, MS, Smith first arrived at William Carey in 2004 as a member of the Crusader Baseball team as a two-way player. During his playing career, he was a part of the 2005 GCAC Championship team and two NAIA Regional teams (2005 & 2007).
Following his playing career, Smith joined the baseball coaching staff in 2008 where he spent the next 16 years. During the 2009 baseball season, he helped lead the Crusaders to a GCAC Championship and NAIA Regional.
In 2010, Smith was named the first ever Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach at William Carey to go along with his baseball duties. Over the next five years, he split time between the two sports leading the Men’s Cross Country team to the school’s first ever Cross Country SSAC Championship in 2014. The XC team advanced to the NAIA National Championship and Smith was named the SSAC Coach of the Year. In his five years of coaching cross country, WCU produced two NAIA All-Americans, 3 SSAC Individual Conference Champions, and 14 All-SSAC runners.
In 2011, Smith took over the WCU Baseball pitching staff and coached Carey pitchers through 2019. The Crusaders had several All-SSAC selections during this time, as well as one MLB Draft pick. In 2013, the Crusader staff posted a 3.57 ERA and Carey hosted an NAIA Opening Round. In 2016, the Crusaders returned to the NAIA National Tournament and finished runner-up in the Santa Barbara Opening Round after posting 40 wins for the first time since 2004.
In 2017, Smith helped lead the Crusaders to an NAIA Opening Round Championship and a berth in the 2017 NAIA World Series for the first time since 1978. The Crusaders finished 3rd, the highest finish at William Carey since 1969. The 2018 Crusaders, once again, finished runner-up after hosting an NAIA Opening Round, falling one game shy of a repeat trip to the NAIA World Series.
In 2021 and 2022, Smith transitioned from pitchers to infielders along with coaching first base for the Crusaders. The team won back-to-back SSAC Tournament Championships and reached the NAIA Opening Round both years, finishing runner-up in 2021.
In 2023, the Crusaders won the SSAC Regular Season Championship setting an SSAC record for winning percentage in the conference. The 2023 Crusader offense shattered single season school records for hits, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, and runs batted in. The Crusaders hosted and won the NAIA Opening Round on their way to another trip to the NAIA World Series. Once again, WCU finished 3rd in Lewiston.
In 2024, Smith helped lead the Crusaders back to the NAIA World Series for the third time in seven years. The Crusaders picked up another SSAC Championship and NAIA Opening Round Championship along the way. In April, Smith was named the Associate Head Coach for the baseball team along with being named the Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations.
After twenty years of being a member of the Crusader baseball program, Smith transitioned full time to administration. His roles include marketing, alumni relations, and advancement for the Athletic Department.
Outside of athletics, during the Covid shutdown in 2020, Smith started an outdoor blog titled “Pinstripes to Camo” to detail his transition from being a coach to an outdoorsman. Soon the blog grew into a weekly outdoor column that is published in multiple newspapers throughout the state today reaching several hundred thousand people per week. In 2021, Smith launched the “Pinstripes to Camo” Podcast, later transitioning to the “Southern Drawl Podcast” which currently reaches thousands of people weekly. In June 2021, Smith’s column was awarded as the #1 Weekly Sports Column in Mississippi by the Mississippi Press Association. Smith also serves as a History Instructor in the William Carey University School of Arts and Letters.
Smith earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from William Carey in 2008 and a Master of Education in 2012. He serves as a Deacon at Temple Baptist Church in Oak Grove. He and his wife, Amy, have been married for 14 years and have three daughters (Mackenzie-13, Collins-9, and Allie-5).
