Career Notes: All-time hits leader (276)...All-time RBI leader (158)...First all-time at bats (858)...First all-time runs (142)...Tied all-time triples leader (9)...Second all-time games started (218)...Third all-time games played (225).
SENIOR (2021): All-WAC First Team...Academic All-WAC (5x)...2021 Sacramento State Hornet Award...Matt Smith etched his name permanently into the Sacramento State record books in 2021, putting together the best season of his career and climbing to the top of numbers career statistical categories...Played in 48 games with 44 starts...Made most of his starts as the team's designated hitter (27) while also seeing time in left field (16 starts) and right field (1)...Hit a career-high .393 with a .452 OBP and .595 SLG, both also career bests...His .393 batting average was the eighth-highest in program history and the best since the 2003 season...Finished tied for the team lead with a career-high eight home runs while driving in 44, second most on the team and another career-high...Hit two home runs in the same game on March 14 at Tarleton, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and five runs scored...His 68 hits led the team while his 103 total bases were second...Became Sacramento State's all-time hits leader and all-time RBI leader on the same day, going 1-for-6 with three RBIs at Northern Colorado on April 25...Tied for team lead in multi-hit games (21) while finishing second in multi-RBI games (11)...Had a season-high four hit game three times...Had a career-high five RBIs at Cal Baptist on May 7... Tied his career-best with a 16-game hit streak from April 17 through May 9...16 games was also his best reached base streak of the year...Was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts...Struck out just 21 times in 173 at bats while drawing 16 walks...Defensively, was perfect in the outfield, posting a 1.000 FLD% and collecting 17 putouts and an outfield-leading three assists in 20 total chances.
SENIOR (2020): Academic All-WAC (4x)...Preseason all-WAC...Was off to a strong start to the 2020 season, starting all 16 of Sacramento State's game in left field...In 16 games, was hitting .298 with a career-best .414 on-base percentage and a .526 slugging percentage, also a career-best...His .526 SLG was best on the team, his .414 OBP second, and his .298 average third...Hit three home runs in 16 games, also a team-high, while driving in nine, tied for second most on the club...Had nine RBIs and 11 runs scored in 16 games...Stole three bases (caught once)...Had four doubles, tied for the team lead, and drew nine walks...Led the Hornets with four multi-RBI games...Also had five multi-hit games, tied for second most on the team...Homered in back-to-back games against Milwaukee at home on Feb. 21 and Feb. 22...Posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in left field, collecting 31 putouts and one assist in 32 chances.
JUNIOR (2019): All-WAC First Team...Academic All-WAC (3x)...Played in and started 57 of Sacramento State's 65 games during his junior year...Made all of his starts in the outfield, 56 of them in left field and one more in right...Hit .311 with a .478 slugging percentage and a .378 on-base percentage...Hit seven home runs, four triples, and nine doubles...Drove in 38 while scoring 43 runs...Led the 2019 Hornets in average (.311), slugging (.478), triples (4), hits (71), and runs scored (43)...Was tied for second on the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (38)...Also led the team in multi-hit games, collecting 18 total multi-hit games during the season...Had three four-hit games - tied for most such games on the team - all of which came against WAC opponents, including a 4-for-5 performance in the WAC Tournament championship game against Grand Canyon...Had 10 multi-RBI games, second most on the team...His 14-game hitting streak from March 29 through April 19 was the longest on the team this season and two shy of his career-long (16 games, 2016)...In WAC-only play, hit an incredible .436 with four home runs, three triples, and eight doubles in 25 games...Was named to the all-WAC First Team, his first career first-team selection and his second career all-league selection...Was also named to the WAC all-Tournament team after hitting .313 with two home runs, four RBIs, and five runs scored...Hit his seventh home run against Stanford in Sacramento State's final game of the year at the NCAA Stanford Regional...Defensively, Smith was perfect in the outfield, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage...Had 87 total putouts and one outfield assist.
R. SOPHOMORE (2018): All-WAC Second Team...Academic All-WAC (2x)...Played in and started 53 games...Started 40 games in left field, 12 games at designated hitter, and one game in right...Hit .310 with a .452 slugging percentage and a .377 on base percentage...had three home runs, 38 RBIs, and 36 runs scored...Ranked second on the team in hits (65), doubles (15), and average...Tied for second on the team with 17 multi-hit games...Had five games with three or more hits...Had a five-game multi-hit streak...His 10-game hit streak was tied for second longest on the team and ended the season having hit safely in eight straight games...Finished with the third most RBIs on the team...Had eight multi-RBI games, including two games with four or more RBIs...Put together a four-game multi-RBI streak...Tied for the team lead with 13 stolen bases, which ranked T-2nd in the WAC...Stole two bases in a game four times...Was one of the team's most clutch hitters, hitting .280 (21-for-75) with runners in scoring position and .833 (10-for-12) with runners on third and less than two outs...His 30 strikeouts were fewest on the team among players with more than 15 games played...Had a career game against Pacific, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, four RBIs, and two runs scored...Also drove in four against CSU Bakersfield in the WAC Tournament, going 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and four RBIs...Hit .286 with a tournament-high nine RBIs...Had 72 putouts and one assists with one error for a .986 fielding percentage.
SOPHOMORE (2017): Medical redshirt season.
FRESHMAN (2016): Academic All-WAC...Played in 51 games with 48 starts...Started 46 games at designated hitter and two in left field...Hit .289 with 29 RBIs and 19 runs scored...Ranked third on the team in RBIs...Began his career on a 16-game hitting streak, tied for the ninth longest hitting streak in program history and third longest all season in the WAC...Was hit by a pitch in the ninth game of the season and missed a week and a half before returning and extending his hitting streak by another seven games...Hit a WAC-best .421 during the season-opening hitting streak...Had hits in 22 of his first 23 collegiate games...Also had an 8-game hitting streak later in the season...Had an RBI in each of his first four collegiate games and eight of his first nine contests...Hit 29-of-96 (.302) for the season with runners on base...Tied for third on the team with 14 multi-hit games with four 3-hit games...Ranked third on the team with six multi-RBI games...Had a season-high three RBIs in the season opener at Auburn...Singled to drive in the tying run in the ninth inning in Sacramento State's 5-4 comeback win over No. 5 LSU...Was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs in a game against Utah Valley...Had five multi-hit games in a seven-game stretch April 27-May 7...Tied for the team lead with two triples...Was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts...Second on the team with four sacrifice flies...Team was 12-7 when he hit in the cleanup spot...Had two putouts defensively.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played four years for coach Rusty McDonald at El Dorado HS...Three-time all-Sierra Valley League selection and league MVP in 2015...Hit .598 as a senior with a state-high 57 RBIs...Led the entire country with 14 home runs and had a 1.218 slugging percentage...Named all-State, all-City, and all-Metro as a senior...Named to Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team...Earned American Family Insurance All-USA Performance of the Week award in 2015...Led team to two Sierra Valley League championships...Helped team go 22-6 in his senior year...Hit .452 with 16 extra-base hits and 30 RBIs in 2014...Hit .523 with 13 extra-base hits and 26 RBIs as a sophomore...Also played basketball for four years and was two-time all-Sierra Valley League...Sacramento Bee feature
PERSONAL: Parents are Ken and RaeEllen Smith...Hopes to graduate with a degree in criminal justice, enlist as an officer in the military, and transfer to the FBI...Majoring in criminal justice.
