Smith

COLLINSVILLE — West Lauderdale didn’t have to look far to find its next baseball coach.

Jason Smith, who served as an assistant under long-time coach Jerry Boatner for 13 years, was named the school’s replacement for Boatner, who retired after this past season following 45 years leading the Knights.

Smith will inherit a program that won 14 state championships under Boatner and a team one year removed from a Class 4A state championship that most recently made it to the third round of the postseason.

“It’s an exciting moment,” said Smith, who was formally introduced as the team’s new coach at a press conference Friday morning at the school. “There’s a great tradition here that Coach Boatner set for the past 45 years. I’m definitely going to miss him and what he’s meant to me, treating me like a son, especially early in my career coming out of college. I’m just excited about the guys we have returning and will try to continue the tradition.”

West Lauderdale principal Shane Rodgers said there were a number of candidates for the opening, but having observed Smith personally, he felt Smith was the best person for the job.

“I think the first thing (that stands out) is, he’s just very level-headed about things, very intelligent,” Rodgers explained. “He knows the game inside and out. Viewing him in the classroom on a daily basis, the attention to detail he shows there is uncommon to coaches. If he’s showing attention to detail there, we know he’ll show it on the baseball field as well.”

Having observed Smith as an assistant coach for more than a decade, Boatner said he thought Smith was a great hire for West Lauderdale.

“I think he’ll do a great job,” Boatner said. “He’s very intelligent. He’s a hard worker, and he knows what’s going on out there. He’s well-respected by the players, coaches and fans, and I don’t think they could have hired a better person. He knows the community, the program and the kids.”

Boatner announced before the 2018 season it would be his last as West Lauderdale’s coach, and Smith said he immediately knew he would apply for the job once Boatner stepped down.

“It’s always been an interest,” Smith said. “There is great community support here, and it’s a great school with wonderful facilities. It’s a very good program, so it’s an ideal situation to be a part of.”

Having that familiarity is something Rodgers said should be a big advantage for Smith as he takes over.

“Knowing our community and the people and families in the area, I think it’s a huge advantage for a coach coming in, because he’s already established those relationships that’s key to continuing good programs,” Rodgers said.

It also helps that a good infrastructure is already in place, Smith pointed out.

“Along with Coach Boatner, West Lauderdale has always had some very good players, and we still have some coming up that we’re excited about,” Smith said. “We’ve always put an emphasis on our junior high program and having players in the program for six years. It’s one of the biggest reasons for our success.”

Following a 14-time state champion, Smith said he knows there will be pressure coming into the job, but he isn’t as focused on that as he is how much he’ll miss having Boatner around.

“There are a lot of things I’ll miss personally: seeing his red truck, being able to hear the life lessons he gives every day and just his personality and knowing him outside of baseball,” Smith said. 

At the same time, Smith said Boatner set the perfect example of what to emulate in a head coach.

“He’s always had energy and passion and excitement for the game,” Smith said. “He coaches every position in great detail with the responsibility and discipline he’s always preached. He did a very good job of trying to teach me those things and how to motivate players and how to be a leader.”

In Smith, Rodgers said the team is getting the best coach it could hope to have after Boatner.

“Coach Smith really appreciates the program and knows the tradition, because he’s been around it a long time,” Rodgers said. “It means as much to him as anyone. He’s going to strive to make it as good as its been, because he already contains a lot of pride for that.”

Though baseball season is almost a year away, Smith said he has high expectations for the 2019 Knights.

“We return all of our pitching staff, so we hope that will be a strong point for us again,” Smith said. “A lot of young players got valuable experience (this season). I don’t plan to change to much, so hopefully defense and pitching will always be our strong points. Offensively, I just hope we can get some timely hits.”