Miami Ohio University Athletics
Tracy Smith Tabbed 2005 MAC Baseball Coach of the Year
5/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2005
OXFORD, Ohio--Guiding Miami to a 17-4 Mid-American Conference mark en route to its first regular-season MAC title since 1983, Miami University head baseball coach Tracy Smith was tabbed the 2005 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches, the conference office announced today.
Smith's honor marks the fifth time in the history of the award that a Miami coach has been named MAC Coach of the Year with Bud Middaugh earning the first two awards in 1973 and 1974 and again in 1979. Smith becomes the first Miami baseball coach to be named MAC Coach of the Year since Jon Pavlisko led Miami to a 36-15 overall record in 1983.
This season, Smith earned his 300th career win in an 11-10 triumph over Toledo on April 30, becoming the third coach in Miami history to reach the 300 career-win plateau. Entering the MAC Tournament, Smith owns a 311-217-1 career mark and a 152-95 record in MAC play. In nine seasons at the helm of the RedHawk program, Smith has guided Miami to the MAC Tournament every season, including five championship game appearances.
Miami's 17-4 MAC record, a .810 winning percentage, is the second-best winning percentage in the history of the league. Kent State recorded a .833 winning percentage in 2003 with a 20-4 record. With a 39-15 overall record entering the MAC Tournament, the RedHawks are just one win shy of tying the most wins in the Tracy Smith era as the 2000 squad went 40-23. It would be just the fourth 40-win season in program history.
This is the first MAC Coach of the Year honor for Smith, who becomes the fourth Miami coach this season to earn conference coach of the year accolades, joining Pete Lindsay (Men's Swimming), Todd Spohn (Men's Diving) and Charlie Coles (Men's Basketball).
