Ira Smith (baseball)
Ira Lamonte Smith (born August 4, 1967) is an American former college and minor league baseball player from Chestertown, Maryland. 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, Smith finished the season with a .488 batting average and was named team MVP. In 1990, 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 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 team. In 1997, it was reported that the Detroit Tigers were grooming Smith to eventually become a coach or manager due to his relationship with Randy Smith, former General Manager of the San Diego Padres 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 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 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. References

1967 births
Living people
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball players
Minor league baseball coaches
People from Chestertown, Maryland
Baseball players from Maryland
African-American baseball players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Bakersfield Dodgers players
Duluth-Superior Dukes players
Great Falls Dodgers players
Jacksonville Suns players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Lincoln Saltdogs players
Memphis Chicks players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
San Antonio Missions players
Sioux City Explorers players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Vero Beach Dodgers players
Wichita Wranglers players
Winnipeg Goldeyes players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada