Rebels’ Smith Visits With OPC All-Stars

Ole Miss softball coach Mike Smith brought the SEC Tournament trophy with him when he visited the Oxford Park Commission’s 10-and-Under All-Star team at FNC Park. Photo by John Davis / Oxford Park Commission

Robert McCord took a chance and sent an e-mail to Ole Miss softball coach Mike Smith at the Wednesday morning. The head coach of the Oxford Park Commission’s 10-and-Under All-Star team really wanted to meet Smith. McCord wanted his team to meet Smith, and he was hoping Smith would be kind enough to pay a visit to his team, which is getting ready to play in the state tournament.

What McCord didn’t expect was to have the SEC Tournament trophy come along with Smith when he visited the indoor practice facility at FNC Park Thursday evening. The All-Stars posed for pictures with Smith and the trophy before jumping into the cages for practice. Smith, who helped lead the Rebels to their first appearance in the NCAA super regionals this year, offered up words of encouragement to the players. He also added some tips on how to be a good team, and stressed playing together. The entire visit lasted about 30 minutes, but the experience will last a lifetime, McCord believed.
“I can’t speak for all the children, but for my daughter, she was on Cloud 9 all day. I know several on the team and they were religious about wanting to go to Ole Miss games this year,” McCord said. “Their players are idols to a lot of them. To be honest, I thought they were going to be too busy to come out and visit since it’s so late in the year that we’re doing this. But those girls, their faces lit up when he got here. They were very attentive and interested in what he had to say.”
Smith went around the table shaking hands, or getting a high five, from the players before his speech. He made sure to take a picture with any of them that wanted to. Smith also asked the players questions, and he wished them all good luck.
“I hate I can’t come to the tournament. I have to go recruit in Colorado, get some players for next year so we can keep this going,” Smith told the kids. “But I know you will do well and represent Oxford the right way.”
McCord really appreciated the fast response from Smith on the request to visit the team. He was also so thankful that Smith made the time.
“How many of these kids are going to get this chance to stand next to possibly a future Hall of Fame coach and an SEC trophy?” McCord said. “The knowledge that he can give these kids, it’s something they can always remember. The girls told me that they were nervous about the tournament coming up. So, when I was sitting and drinking my coffee, I asked myself who could I get to come and talk to the girls? I took a shot in the dark. I was hard core Ole Miss before he came but now, I’m even more pleased. He quickly climbed to the top of my coach’s list. This is something they can brag about.”

Courtesy of John Davis and the Oxford Park Commission
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