Jeff Smith will enter his sixth season at the helm of the UWG baseball program with the 2024-25 academic year. Smith was named head coach for the Wolves in April of 2019.
Smith took over the UWG baseball program in an unprecedented year, the 2020 season, after nine years as an assistant coach under former head coach Skip Fite. As a member of Fite’s staff, Smith helped guide the Wolves to a record of 241-208, reaching the Gulf South Conference tournament seven times and the NCAA South Regional in 2016.
UWG closed out its final DII season (2024) posting a 23-27 overall record and a 14-16 conference record, earning a spot in the GSC Tournament as the eighth seed. Under Smith’s guidance, pitcher Jonathan Hickman earned Second Team All-Conference honors after posting a 3.69 ERA (sixth-best in GSC) while holding opposing batters to a .230 hitting average (third-best in GSC). The graduate student finished the season with a 4-3 W/L record in addition to a career-high three saves.
In the 2023 season, Smith led West Georgia to a 31-18 overall record and a 17-13 conference record, propelling UWG back to the GSC Tournament as the five-seed. Under Smith's leadership Anthony Calabro had the best statistical year of his career as the outfielder hit .418, 14 home runs, drove in 57 RBIs, and stole 17 bases, leading to a first team All-GSC selection and a consensus first team All-Region selection. Along with Calabro, infielder Sam Ladner also had a career year, hitting .340, 10 home runs, and 38 RBIs, which led to a first team All-GSC selection and a second team All-Region nod. On the hill, starting pitcher Peyton Berry made it three first team All-GSC selections for the Wolves as Berry was recognized for his 8-1 record and 4.11 ERA.
In the 2022 season, the Wolves won 24 games under Smith's leadership, battling into the final weekend of the season for a spot in the Gulf South Conference tournament. Anthony Calabro hit .343 in his first season in Carrollton, earning First Team All-GSC honors as the Wolves everyday center fielder. Brody Wortham hit .372 as the Wolves' regular first baseman, earning his second consecutive All-GSC honor.
The 2021 season saw the Wolves reach the Gulf South Conference tournament after winning 17 games in the conference schedule. The offense fueled that run to the tournament with the consensus GSC and South Region Player of the Year Dan Oberst leading the way. Oberst and second baseman Brody Wortham each had a career year and were the top two hitters in the league for the season, with both earning All-American honors. The pair tied for the conference lead in hits with 67, with Wortham hitting .411 and Oberst .409. Oberst had 17 home runs, 11 doubles, five triples, and drove in 54 runs on the season.
In his first season in 2020, the Wolves were on track for what could have been a magical season that was cut short after 20 games due to COVID-19. When the season was closed out, the Wolves were ranked 23rd nationally and were 13-7 overall with an 8-4 record in Gulf South Conference play. At least three players were putting up what could have been All-American level numbers, including closer Sawyer Steele. The senior, who will return for the 2021 season with an NCAA waiver, had seven decisions in eight appearances, going 2-0 with five saves.
The 2025 season will be Smith’s 15th as a collegiate head baseball coach and his 32th overall as a baseball coach. He spent six years as head coach at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee, amassing a record of 225-123 between 1999 and 2005. From 1996-1999, Smith was head coach at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, Tennessee, finishing his time there with a record of 69-67. In his three season as head coach at UWG, he is 55-50 with one trip to the Gulf South Conference championships. Overall, Smith has a record of 359-260 in his 14 years of experience as a head coach.
Since joining the staff at UWG, Smith has helped guide 27 players to All-Gulf South Conference status and nine players to All-Region honors, also producing four All-Americans. Three UWG players have either been drafted or signed to play professional baseball. Added to his previous stops at the University of Montevallo (2007-10) and at Volunteer State, Smith has coached 10 different collegiate players who joined the professional ranks.
The highlight year of Smith’s UWG career came in 2016 as West Georgia posted a 42-16 record, earning the program’s first bid to NCAA Division II Tournament in 18 years. At the South Region Tournament in Tampa, Florida, the Wolves picked up three wins, including a victory that eliminated the defending national champion and host, the University of Tampa, on the Spartans’ home field.
Smith played collegiately at the University of Louisville and graduated from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. He and his wife, Nancy, have three daughters: Abbie (UWG ’17), Sarah Katherine and Lydia. They reside in Carrollton.
UWG Highlights as Assistant Coach
Coach Smith took over a pitching staff with a 9.59 ERA. In 2015 the Wolves pitching staff posted a team ERA of 3.10, ranked 9th in NCAA Division II team ERA. Smith has been influential in the development of UWG Career strikeout leader Jamie Sexton and Tyler Gunnin, who holds the UWG single-season saves record. During his time overseeing the pitching staff, UWG has placed five pitchers on the All-Gulf South Conference Team while Jamie Sexton (2013), Matthew Norton (2015, 2016) made the All-Region teams. Sexton was named All-American in 2013.
The Wolves had a pair of shortstops move on to professional baseball in back-to-back years as in 2016, shortstop Caleb Lopes was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 33rd round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. In 2017, shortstop Artemis Kadkhodaian signed with the Los Angeles Angels.
In 2017 Drew Eady was named to the Rawlings Gold Glove Team for the second year in a row. This makes the third time in three years that a UWG player was awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove. In Smith’s nine years at UWG, there have been 22 players named to the All-Gulf South Conference teams and 10 players receiving recognition for All-Gulf South Conference Academic awards.
The 2018 season saw the Wolves win 32 games and rank seventh in the Gulf South Conference in Team ERA at 4.54. Where the UWG staff was best was in walks issued, as the Wolves had just 137 walks allowed on the year and teams hit .275 against the staff. The 137 walks issued was second-best in the GSC.
The Wolves were poised for more improvement in the 2016 season, and that they did, posting the third-best record in school history with a 42-16 mark. Additionally, the Wolves reached the NCAA Regional for the first time since 1998, traveling to Tampa, Fla. as the sixth seed in the tournament. After falling to eventual National Champion Nova Southeastern in the opening round, the Wolves would rattle off three straight wins defeating Claflin, top-seed and defending champion Tampa, and then finally a win over GSC rival West Florida. After the win over UWF, the Wolves had to come back to take on Delta State, and ran out of gas, falling to the Statesmen and ending the best season in more than a decade at West Georgia.
Five Wolves were named to the All-GSC team in the 2015 season with Caleb Lopes, Garrett Hayes, and Matthew Norton each earning All-Region honors. Senior right fielder Tyler Hutch was named to the Rawlings Gold Glove Team as well. Coach Smith came to West Georgia following five years on the staff of former Gulf South Conference rival, the University of Montevallo.
While at Montevallo Smith helped lead the Falcons to two South Central Regional tournaments in 2006 and 2007. In 2006 UM captured the South Central Region and finish third in the NCAA Division II World Series. During his time at Montevallo, the Falcons had 17 players named to All-Gulf South Conference Honors and 8 named to the All GSC Academic teams. In 2006 Smith was recognized by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association as the Alabama Assistant Coach of the Year. Prior to his time at Montevallo, Smith had a successful six-year run as head coach at Volunteer (Tenn.) State Community College. In 2000 his team won 48 games and was ranked as high as #1 in the Nation in NJCAA. Smith has one former player in Major League Baseball in pitcher Steve Delabar who played with the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds. Delabar made the American League All-Star team in 2013 as a member of the Blue Jays.
Jeff Smith Career at UWG
| Year |
W |
L |
Pct |
GSC W |
GSC L |
Pct |
| 2024 |
23 |
27 |
.460 |
14 |
16 |
.467 |
| 2023 |
31 |
18 |
.633 |
17 |
13 |
.567 |
| 2022 |
24 |
20 |
.545 |
13 |
16 |
.448 |
| 2021 |
18 |
23 |
.439 |
17 |
19 |
.472 |
| 2020 |
13 |
7 |
.650 |
8 |
4 |
.667 |
| Overall |
109 |
95 |
.532 |
69 |
68 |
.503 |
Award Winners under Jeff Smith
UWG All-Americans
2021 Dan Oberst
2021 Brody Wortham
South Region Player of the Year
2021 Dan Oberst
All-Region
2023 Anthony Calabro
2023 Sam Ladner
2021 Dan Oberst
2021 Brody Wortham
GSC Players of the Year under Jeff Smith
2021 Dan Oberst
UWG All-GSC
2024 Jonathan Hickman Second Team
2023 Peyton Berry First Team
2023 Sam Ladner First Team
2023 Anthony Calabro First Team
2022 Anthony Calabro First Team
2022 Brody Wortham Second Team
2021 Dan Oberst First Team
2021 Brody Wortham Second Team
