Kentucky shortstop, St. Pius alum Grant Smith makes SportsCenter's top play, will face Oregon State, Sandia alums in super regional

Indiana State was at bat trying to mount a comeback, down 3-0 in the fifth inning to Kentucky in a postseason baseball game last week. Parker Stinson, of the Sycamores, made contact with the ball and it began to sail into shallow left field — a surefire hit.

Not so fast.

Wildcats shortstop Grant Smith, an Albuquerque native who has made a name for himself playing excellent defense for Kentucky, turned and sprinted to the outfield, snaring the ball in mid-air before somersaulting on the grass and firing a laser to home plate, preventing a run from scoring.

Rally stopped.

Kentucky would go on to win 5-0 and on Saturday begins a best-of-three series with Oregon State, a trip to the College World Series on the line.

Smith’s acrobatic, jaw-dropping play earned him the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 that night. The extraordinary play exemplified not just Smith’s athleticism but a work ethic and passion the St. Pius alum has carried from a young age.

“My parents would let me know that if I wanted to achieve things, I would have to work for it,” Smith shared in an interview with the Journal. “Things that you want don’t necessarily come easy to you and because I was able to put in the work and enjoy the game (of baseball), I was able to develop my skills and eventually get where I am now. I don’t think that happens without having a true passion for what you’re doing, and I bet that’s something I’ll carry for the rest of my life.”

A 6-foot, 190-pound senior, Smith has been a key player for Kentucky, the No. 2 team in the nation, all season.

Over the course of 61 games, he maintained a batting average of .281, recording 54 hits with eight doubles, eight home runs and 30 RBIs. He had a pair of 10-game hitting streaks, hitting safely in 16 out of 17 games at one stretch, and an impressive 18-game on-base streak.

While his ability to get on base is evident, it’s his athletic ability and defensive prowess that get Smith noticed.

Smith was a Rawlings Gold Glove finalist at shortstop, where he committed only three errors in 244 opportunities. He also helped turn 34 double plays.

He’ll next get to showcase his talents against Oregon State, the No. 15 seed, in a college baseball super regional in Lexington, Kentucky, and he’ll have to do it at the plate against pitchers he knows well.

The Beavers will start Aiden May on Saturday and Jacob Kmatz on Sunday — both Sandia alums.

“We’re good friends, so it’ll be fun,” Smith said.

Game 1 is at 4 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday and Game 2 is at 7 p.m. Sunday, broadcast on ESPNU and streaming on ESPN+.

Enchanted journey

Smith was a multi-sport athlete growing up and decided in high school to focus on baseball.

“I knew I would need to focus on one (sport) and dedicate most of my time to becoming as good as I could,” he said.

Smith played varsity baseball for four years and was captain at St. Pius his junior and senior years. As the starting shortstop and a pitcher his senior year, he led the Sartans to a 24-5 record and a 2019 state championship.

Smith said St. Pius Assistant Coach Noel Baca — also Smith’s travel team coach when he was younger — was a big influence.

Baca described Smith as a “natural-born leader” and someone with “tireless work ethic.”

“If he sets his mind to it, the kid’s going to accomplish it,” Baca said of his former pupil.

After St. Pius, Smith would continue his baseball career at New Mexico State ... or at least that was his expectation. But when NMSU baseball coach Brian Green left to become the coach at Washington State, Smith made a decision to attend the University of Incarnate Word where he was the starting shortstop for three years.

Smith believes that his choice to go to Incarnate Word was beneficial as it evolved his game.

“It (Incarnate Word) was a good experience,” he said. “I was definitely able to develop my skills and have good numbers to where I could enter the transfer portal, and ultimately see what that brought.”

With the Cardinals, he hit for a .297 average with 16 homers and 87 RBIs in 116 games over his three years in San Antonio, Texas.

Kentucky, a powerhouse SEC school, took notice.

“Moving to University of Kentucky was a challenge but at the same time a privilege. College baseball is awesome, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to play at two different places,” he said.

As Smith looks to the future, his goal is clear: To translate his collegiate success into a professional baseball career.