Doug Smith

Doug Smith

Doug Smith was appointed as the fourth head baseball coach in UC Riverside history in September 2004, following 25 years as the top assistant and hitting coach at his alma mater.

After 10 seasons at the helm of the Highlanders, Smith retired on June 3, 2014 with an overall record of 272-264 including a 117-117 mark in Big West competition. That includes UC Riverside’s first Big West Conference Baseball Championship in 2007 and a trip to the NCAA Regionals that same year. After the season, with a program-best conference record of 16-5 in tow, Smith was named Big West Coach of the Year.

In a collegiate career spanning nearly 2,000 games, Smith has helped the Highlanders to 10 postseason appearances, including one Division II National Championship, one Big West Conference Title, and two NCAA Division I West Regional appearances.

As the Highlanders’ hitting coach, Smith saw his teams set nearly every significant offensive school record, including batting average, home runs, runs, RBI and extra base hits. In addition, the 2003 Highlanders led the Big West in batting average and homers and had the fourth highest team batting average in Division I.

In his career, Smith has coached over 200 all-conference selections and 34 All-America selections. During that time, nearly 150 of his players have been signed to professional contracts, and three former Highlanders—Anthony Claggett (Yankees, 2009), Dan Runzler (Giants. 2010, 2012) and Marc Rzepczynski (Cardinals, 2011) won World Series rings over the past five major league seasons.

Smith graduated from UC Riverside in 1975 with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and political science. An outstanding catcher, his senior year was highlighted by his performance in the All-Riverside Baseball Invitational Tournament, where he helped lead the Highlanders to their first-ever title and was the leading hitter at .471. Following the season he was named All-CCAA First Team.

Smith served as a part-time assistant coach from 1976 through 1980 while he pursued a master’s degree in physical education from Cal Poly Pomona. After taking three years off to venture into private business, Smith returned to the Highlanders in 1983 and has been on the staff ever since. In 1989 Smith led the Kenai Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Summer Baseball League to a third-place finish at the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, Kansas.

Smith is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and enjoys playing golf in his free time. He and his wife, Ruthan, reside in Riverside and have two daughters, Traci and Kelly.
 
 OverallBig West
YearWLWLFinishNotes
2005282711104th 
20062925912T 5th 
200738211651stNCAAs
200821331410T 3rd 
2009332012124th 
2010322313113rd
2011292311135th
201222329158th
201314*3210178th
2014262812125th
Totals272264117117 Â