Sept. 21, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Annie Smith has joined the Auburn softball program as an assistant coach, head coach Mickey Dean announced Thursday. Smith was most recently on the staff at LSU.
"We're excited to have Annie join our program," Dean said. "She's had the experience of coaching in the Southeastern Conference. She's had experience as a head coach and was the coach of the year in her conference multiple times. I think she is a coach that the players will find it easy to relate to."
Smith comes to Auburn after stints at LSU, Georgia Southern, Mississippi State and Missouri where she coached seven All-Americans, 49 All-Conference selections and 36 All-Region honorees. Smith's squads have been equally as impressive in the classroom, garnering 123 NFCA Academic Scholar-Athlete honors.
"I am very excited for this opportunity to work with Coach Dean and Auburn University," Smith said. "He has a great vision for the program. Auburn is a great university with a great softball program and in the best softball conference in the country."
Smith also boasts professional experience, as she was an assistant coach for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league this past summer, where she guided former Auburn standout Emily Carosone.
Before her brief stint with LSU, Smith served as the head coach at Georgia Southern, where she complied 176 wins and reached the NCAA Tournament twice. Smith and the Eagles captured the Southern Conference title in 2012 and in 2014. The Eagles also won the conference tournament in 2012 and 2013.
For her efforts, Smith was honored as the conference's coach of the year in 2012 and 2014.
Smith currently stands as the quickest coach in Georgia Southern history to 100 wins, while her teams rewrote the record books for home runs, doubles and fielding percentage. She was instrumental in the development of the three-time conference pitcher of the year and the two-time freshman of the year in the league.
Smith joined the Eagles from Mississippi State, where she spent five seasons as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach following the 2007 season.
The Manhattan, Kan. native helped the Bulldogs to 295 victories and six NCAA Regional appearances. She worked with three USA Softball National Team members and the back-to-back SEC Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
Smith's duties at Mississippi State primarily focused on offense and the outfield while also acting as the recruiting coordinator.
Smith began her coaching career at Missouri where she started as a graduate assistant in 1996 before being elevated to assistant coach in 1999.
While with the Tigers, she and the team made two NCAA Tournament appearances and won the Big 12 Conference title in 1997.
Smith received her bachelor's degree in history and psychology from Grinnell College where she was a captain on the softball team. She went on to earn a master's degree from Missouri in health and exercise science with an emphasis in sports psychology.