Making her mark

Ka‘ili Smith famously grew up playing baseball instead of softball until high school.

Eight years later, it’s impossible to argue the decision.

A four-time, first-team, all-softball state player at Kapolei, Smith has duplicated that success in college.

She enters her senior season at Mississippi State with a chance to etch her name all over the school’s career record books, finishing in the top 10 in batting average, home runs, runs, RBIs and doubles just to name a few.

But much more than that, Smith has one goal that tops all others for her senior year. It’s ending a streak that is of the most importance to her.

"Last time we went to the postseason was my freshman year, we made regionals," the 5-foot-7 lefty said. "We haven’t qualified since."

The Bulldogs have finished under .500 the past two years and enter the 2012 season with a new head coach.

The school introduced former Alabama pitching coach Vann Stuedeman as its coach last June, replacing Jay Miller, who recruited Smith to MSU.

The Bulldogs have yet to lose under their new coach, winning all six exhibition games last fall and opening the regular season last weekend with four wins in the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, Ala.

MSU outscored its opponents 27-10, led by Smith, who hit .300 (3-for-10) with three runs scored. She was also walked five times while hitting leadoff for the first time.

"Coach put me at leadoff and my job is to set the tone for my teammates and keep things going," she said. "It’s a new beginning."

An outfielder in high school, Smith rotates between catcher and first base for the Bulldogs, who were 0-4 at this time last year.

Mississippi State hasn’t finished over .500 in SEC play since 2007, but qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2009 despite an 8-20 league record.

The key to that is winning the majority of its nonconference games.

So far, so good.

"I think we’re going to do great things," Smith said. "I wanted to come here and make a difference for this program and be like a family. This is my fourth year here and I’ve tried to make that happen through the years."

Smith was a big-time recruit out of Kapolei, taking recruiting trips to Fresno State and MSU and getting interest from UCLA, Stanford and California, among others.

Her trip to Frenso came after her first trip to Starkville, Miss. She had others still to take, but decided to end the recruiting process early and commit to Mississippi State.

"They knew they wanted me and showed me the ways of Mississippi," Smith said. "I just felt at home here and then they provided the most for me to go to school and that was the icing on the cake."

Smith begins her senior season seventh on the school’s career list in batting average and RBIs, and ninth in home runs.

She’s played and started all 167 games her first three years and hit 10 home runs as a sophomore, fifth-most by a Bulldog.

"In order for me to be better, my entire team has to be better and it takes all of us to be successful," Smith said. "We always play every game focusing on the only thing we can control and that’s ourselves."