SMITH IS NOT A FAN OF DOWN TIME

Booneville High School junior Ellie Smith has lived life at an unusually leisurely pace this week.

That is because school was dismissed on Monday due to a solar eclipse, Smith and the Lady Bearcat softball team suffered a rain out on Tuesday, and they are open on Thursday, before finally getting back on the field against Lincoln Friday.

Smith, the first baseman for the Lady Bearcats, cannot wait.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Smith. “It’s been so calm. It’s boring.”

But Friday is coming, and Lincoln beat the Lady Bearcats twice last year, on Good Friday here and in the regional tournament. But Smith and the Lady Bearcats would win a state title, after playing the state tournament on Lincoln’s field, the site of Friday's game.

“I think they’ll definitely be nervous stepping up to the game,” said Smith. “We’ll need to play our best game, and they’re going to have to play their best game.”

As was the case a year ago, the meeting could be the first of multiple games with the Lady Wolves as Lincoln’s 3A-1 conference is still paired with the 3A-4.

You might think Smith would have been ready for this week’s break after playing five games Saturday in the Raymond Turner Memorial Tournament and a total of six games in two days, but she insists that is far from the case.

Saturday’s games involved a time limit, but Smith is used to a faster pace anyway.

“Our conference games, we’ve run-ruled everyone but Hackett, so most of our games are pretty quick,” she said.

Quick is actually a good descriptor for Smith.

A multiple-sport athlete Smith really stays busy in the spring because she is a long jumper and sprint specialist for the Lady Bearcat track team.

Smith actually missed a softball game for a track meet and will likely miss one next Thursday for the district meet while the softball team is in Pea Ridge.

She is accustomed to adapting to a particular need.

Prior to high school softball Smith was in the circle. When that ended she became a courtesy/pinch runner and or designated hitter.

“I didn’t play first (base) until last year. I pitched when I was younger and then I hurt my shoulder so I couldn’t pitch anymore, and first base was a really good place for me to field because I didn’t have to throw the ball around too much.”

Smith and the defending state champions have clinched the two seed in the district tournament – set for Danville – which assures them a trip to the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament.

That tournament will be held at Harrison Parks with Valley Springs hosting. The precursor to the state tournament will feature turf fields.

“I think our coaches are looking to schedule us some games on turf so we can’t get in some practice, since the district tournament we won’t play until later in the week.”

The Lavaca game was played on a turf field, but that was the game Smith missed for Bearcat Relays. A tournament in Russellville, which Smith did play in, was on turf.

To get ready for this season Smith took about a month off after volleyball.

“Early December we started to practice again. Hit, throw, get back in the groove,” said Smith.

“She’s a very hard working kid that has done a great job at the top of the lineup. She’s leading the team in runs scored,” said head coach Chad Simpson.

Besides scoring a team leading 29 runs, Smith also co-leads the team in stolen bases and is second in walks with 14, while sporting a .371 batting average.

Ever in a hurry, Smith, perhaps fittingly, hits from the left handed side of the plate and is therefore a step closer to first base.

When she took the field for the state title game last year, Smith was in the second sport in the order – she had two hits with a triple that day in Conway – with the since graduated Layla Byrum leading off.

“It wasn’t much different. I liked having Layla going before me but it’s a big responsibility to have and I like having that responsibility,” Smith said of the change this year.

With the tournament portion of the schedule in the very near future Smith is in hopes her team can make another run.

“We’re still trying to put the pieces together,” said Smith. “We need to clean up some fielding. That was what pushed us through last year, was our clean defense.”

That too came after a period of defensive struggles, so there is a favorable history.

Smith is the daughter of Jessica and Mark Walker.

Her school day is rather challenging with Spanish II – an honor graduate requirement – pre-calculus, civics, AP Language, pre-AP chemistry, a study hall for catching up, and athletics, where there is volleyball practice followed by softball practice or games.

Pre-calculus will be followed up with calculus as a senior and the pre-AP chemistry will be followed up –with AP Chemistry as a senior.