Waco, TX (U-WIRE) -- USA Baseball recently named Baylor baseball head coach Steve Smith as head coach for the National Team that will represent the United States in international play this summer.

"It is indeed an honor to have this opportunity, and I look forward to a great summer," Smith said in a press release. "Representing the United States in international competition is a privilege, and I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to lead the 2005 National Team."

SMITH

This will be Smith's second tour of duty with the national team. He served as an assistant coach on the 1998 team under Ron Polk.

"I had a really great experience with the team a few years ago, and it is an honor to be asked back to help out this year," Smith said. "It's an exciting and a humbling thing to put that USA jersey on. It really means something special."

Smith is entering his eleventh year as head coach at Baylor. He has led the Bears to a 372-234-1 record. His success at Baylor played an important role in his selection.

"Coach Smith is very highly regarded among his peers, and we're extremely excited to welcome him back as our head coach for the upcoming summer," USA Baseball General Manager Eric Campbell said in a press release. "Steve is an outstanding teacher of the game, and we look forward to him guiding the top amateur players in the nation this coming summer."

According to Smith, providing guidance to those players is the primary goal of this summer's coaching staff. Smith also knows that his experience with the Team USA will facilitate his growth as a coach.

"It's no different than a player going off for the summer and trying to get better and improve themselves," Smith said. "Through competition and just by being around other coaches you gain experience and get a little different perspective."

Over the next few months, Smith will spend time assembling his coaching staff and preparing for the summer season.

"The most exciting thing for me is to be able to put my staff together," Smith said. "I'm really looking to learn some things this year from guys that I've competed against or worked with in the past."

In June, the nation's top freshman and sophomore baseball players will compete against each other for one of 22 roster spots Smith and staff will fill.

After the team is selected, Smith will lead Team USA to the Far East where they will compete against both Japan's Collegiate All-Stars and the Chinese team in Taiwan.

They will then return home to the team's headquarters in North Carolina to play a pair of three-game series against two international opponents.

Throughout Smith's tenure, Baylor's relationship with USA Baseball has strengthened tremendously, with Smith sending six players to the team.

This year Smith hopes to enhance Baylor's strong reputation by sending more of his own players to the national team. Depending on their play this season, Smith cites freshmen Corey Van Allen, Jeff Mandell and Chase Gerdes as the most likely candidates.

It has the potential to be a busy summer for Smith with hopes for a long postseason.

"I'm really hoping to have to get on a plane and go straight from the [College] World Series to the national team trials. I'm hoping that I don't have much of a break at all."

(C) 2004 The Lariat via U-WIRE