At the plate, she was dependable. In the field, she was versatile and on the base paths, she was one of the fastest ever at University of Illinois Springfield.
Nokomis graduate Mandy Smith, who suited up for University of Illinois Springfield during the last four years, led the team in stolen bases two of those years. She was second in stolen bases one other year. At the plate, she never had a batting average lower than .245 and batted as high as .312. In the field, she played second base, right field and centerfield.
"I am a big fan of right field," said the former Redskin player. "Everyone thinks that right is a boring spot, but in college it is not. I played quite a bit of infield during high school, so I was very used to that position. Center was a ton of running and backing up the middle infield."
But, she was good at all three spots and probably because of her bat and her ability to steal bases, was a constant starter in the lineup. From her freshman year, she started every game.
"I had the great fortune to never be injured and to be good enough to play," said Smith. "It was a good four years for me. They were like a family and we had great times. I have some great memories."
Smith finished her career with a .286 batting average. In 640 trips to the plate, she had 183 hits (16 doubles, three triples). She also had 105 runs scored, 71 stolen bases, 52 RBIs and 49 walks. For her career, she made 239 putouts, 112 assisted putouts and 19 errors for a fielding percentage of .949.
Smith was featured by the Hillsboro Journal-News on August 4, 2014.
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