Olympian, Hall of Famer Michele Smith to Speak at PBC Softball Banquet
Two-time Olympic softball gold medalist Michele Smith will speak at this Thursday’s PBC softball awards banquet in Florence, S.C., on the eve of the 2010 PBC Tournament presented by GEICO. Smith, who is currently a softball analyst for ESPN, appears courtesy of Musco Lighting, a corporate partner of the Peach Belt Conference.
A two-time softball All-American at Oklahoma State University, Smith joined the USA Softball program in 1990, winning a gold at the Canada Cup. She was instrumental in the soaring popularity of softball, appearing on ‘Live with Regis and Kathy Lee’ in 1995 and on ‘Oprah,’ ‘The Today Show,’ ‘Good Morning America,’ and CNN in preparation for the 1996 summer Olympics.
Softball made its debut as an Olympic sport during the Atlanta
games. Smith and Team USA won the first-ever gold medal for
softball. A pitcher and utility player on the team, Smith
appeared in all nine games, going 2-0 in the circle with 23
strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. She hit .211 with a double,
two RBIs and scored three runs.
Smith remained a very visible ambassador for softball in the build up to the 2000 Sydney games, appearing in Sports Illustrated for Women, Elle, Women’s Sports and Fitness, USA Today, Forbes and others.
In Sydney, Smith and team USA won their second gold as she pitched 27.2 innings with a 0.00 ERA, striking out 37. She threw a 14-inning, 2-hitter against China, although an error allowed two unearned runs to score and end the game.
Smith retired from the national team in 2002 and was inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame in 2006. She returned to Japan where she had played professionally since 1993. Playing for team Toyota Shokki, Smith won seven league championships and was named the league Most Valuable Player nine times. In 2008, she played her final tear with Toyota Shokki and earned her ninth MVP title, leading the team to a second-place finish.
Following her remarks at the PBC Tournament, Smith will return to the broadcast booth for ESPN, doing color commentary for the Kentucky/Florida matchup on Saturday, April 18, in Gainesville, Fla. Smith will call the SEC Tournament, NCAA Regionals and super regionals and NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK.