Ira Smith was a college

College baseball

College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...

 and minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 player from Chestertown, Maryland

Chestertown, Maryland

Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,746 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. The ZIP code is 21620 and the area codes are 410 and 443...

. While playing collegiately at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Smith was the first player to win two NCAA batting titles as well as the first to win the award in consecutive seasons.

College Baseball

In 1989

1989 in sports

1989 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...

, Smith finished the season with a .488 batting average

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 and was named team MVP. In 1990

1990 in sports

1990 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland-American football:...

, Smith repeated the feat by batting .519, ranking the sixth all-time highest Division 1 batting average and again earning team MVP honors. Ira's career batting average of .431 ranks as the 14th highest in Division 1 history.

Professional Baseball

In the 1990 MLB Draft the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

 selected Smith in the 37th round. In 14 years playing Minor league and Independent league baseball, Smith had a career .292 batting average. Despite several seasons in Triple-A, Smith did not appear in any games for a Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 team. In 1997 it was reported that the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 were grooming Smith to eventually become a coach or manager due to his relationship with Randy Smith

Randy Smith (baseball)

Randall Edward Smith was born June 15, 1963 in Houston, Texas. He is an executive in Major League Baseball and has served as general manager of the San Diego Padres and the Detroit Tigers and Assistant General Manager for the Colorado Rockies...

, former General Manager

General manager (baseball)

In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....

 of the San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

 and then GM of the Tigers.

Post Career

In 2004, Smith was elected to the UMES Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2005 he was named to the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2010, Smith was elected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...

 Hall of Fame. The NCAA announced in 2011 that Smith would be added to the ballot for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Smith served as a bench coach for the Lincoln Saltdogs

Lincoln Saltdogs

The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

 in 2004 and as the teams hitting coach in 2005. In 2006, Smith left the Saltdogs and took a position as the hitting coach of the Joliet Jackhammers

Joliet JackHammers

The Joliet JackHammers were a professional baseball team based in Joliet, Illinois, in the United States. The JackHammers were a member of the Northern League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From 2002 to 2010, the JackHammers played their home games at Silver Cross...

.