Pellissippi State Community College has hired Meredith Smith to serve as the school’s first head softball coach in program history.
Smith began her college athletics coaching career in 2004 at the University of Tennessee working for two years as the director of softball operations under legendary coaches Karen and Ralph Weekly.
From 2007 to 2019, as the head softball coach at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Smith led teams to 265 wins and became the winningest coach in that program’s history. In 2011, she was named the Summit League Coach of the Year after her team won 36 games, the most in a single season for the school.
Smith ended her career at Kansas City with eight 20+ win seasons and has since owned and operated Intensity Athletics KC, a company that develops and trains athletes and teams in baseball and softball. She became Coffeyville Community College’s softball coach in June 2022.
Smith said she looks forward to joining Pellissippi State, effective May 16, and working with Athletics Director Brock Evans to further his vision for the athletics program.
“Starting the softball program at Pellissippi State is one of the most exciting opportunities I have had,” Smith said. “I am eager to return to Knoxville and build a program of young women who excel on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”
Evans said Smith’s record of accomplishment and her local connection set her apart during the search.
“Panther softball is in the right hands with Coach Smith,” Evans said. “With her experience as a head coach at the junior college and NCAA Division I level, mixed with her experience in Knoxville coaching at UT under Karen Weekly, Coach Smith brings everything this college needs to run a successful softball program for years to come.”
Coach Karen Weekly praised Smith as a “tireless worker” whose successes in previous positions make her a great hire for Pellissippi State.
Smith was also a successful student athlete at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky in 2000 where she tied an NCAA record of five doubles in a single game. She earned all-conference honors and a league player of the week award.
She then spent one semester at East Tennessee State before transferring to the University of Tennessee. She graduated cum laude in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, and she holds a master’s degree in sports psychology with a minor in sports management. Student-athlete recruitment is underway and interested parties can fill out this form.