ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio University introduced Rob Smith as the new baseball head coach Tuesday afternoon at press conference inside the Convocation Center. Smith, who spent the past six years at Creighton University as the Associate Head Coach will serve as the ninth head coach in school history.
During his time at Creighton, Smith helped the Blue Jays to a record of 213-133, three NCAA Regional appearances and three Missouri Valley Conference titles (2007, 2011 and 2012). Creighton has also won four NCAA Tournament games with Smith on the Blue Jays' staff, including two games this season, defeating San Diego and New Mexico.
Listed below are the highlights from today's introductory press conference...
Doug Schreiber, Purdue University - Head Coach "Rob Smith is an outstanding coach that will bring great energy and initiative to the Ohio University baseball program. Rob has played a major role in two successful college programs in Purdue and Creighton over the past eleven years and will continue to build upon the great tradition and foundation that has been established at Ohio."
Rick Heller, Indiana State - Head Coach "Rob is just an outstanding coach and he was a big part of Creighton's success over the past six years. I know myself and our staff at Indiana State have a lot of respect for him. He is a great person, he has a great family and he is a great teacher. Rob is someone who will really work hard and knows what it takes to be successful. Ohio University has made a great selection with their next head coach."
John Savage, UCLA - Head Coach On the Creighton program following the Los Angeles Regional on June 3, 2012 "This is the first time I've personally played them and UCLA has played them in a long time, and I just can't say enough about Creighton. First class. I've seen a lot of programs and how they go about things, from stretching to batting practice to infield and outfield to game, and I'm not just making this up. This is genuine. This is a first-class coaching staff. To be where they were and to run through the Missouri Valley to win the tournament and to play for a regional championship tells you that they never ever gave up on each other, and I'm just so impressed. I was going to say that win or lose. They made a huge impression on our program and really made our program better this weekend."
Pat Venditte, Former Creighton All-America Pitcher "I am so happy for Coach Smith. Nobody knows how hard he works and there is nobody, who wants it more than him. I met Coach Smith during my junior year while I was at Creighton and he just had a major impact on my career. He is very good when it comes to teaching to proper techniques. The way he goes about his daily routine makes it very easy to respect him."
Ty Blach, Former Creighton pitcher and Fifth Round Selection by the San Francisco Giants "Coach Smith was great to work with everyday. The way he interacted with the players was very professional. He is a real players coach and he pushed us to levels we didn't know we could get to."
