Building upon an incredibly strong summer of 2022 with North Shore, Smith returned to Stetson and worked in 19 games while striking out 30 in 27.1 innings during his sophomore spring. The native of Naples, Fla., earned his first career start in March and fanned three or more batters in seven outings, highlighted by 5.1 shutout frames of relief in his penultimate game against Jacksonville. 

The starting role was not unfamiliar to Smith, who pitched out of the rotation for five of his nine appearances as a Navigator last summer. He quickly became one of the team’s most reliable arms, holding opponents to a .188 average on the way to posting two wins and a 3.12 ERA in 40.1 innings. Smith completed at least six frames on five occasions.