Cal Softball: A .481 Hitter, Makena Smith Explains Her Process at the Plate
Makena Smith admits she sometimes can over-think things. But when the Cal sophomore steps into the batter’s box, she finds immediate focus.
“It’s just me and the ball,” Smith said.
“When both my feet go in the box, noting else happens except me and the ball. Not even the pitcher. I don’t care who it is.”
The approach seems to work for Smith, who hit .481 last season to tie for the highest batting average in the Pac-12 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season on the eve of conference play.
Makena Smith
Photo by Lauren Sopourn, KLC fotos
Smith, who plays catcher for the Bears, is a nice anchor piece for first-year coach Chelsea Spencer.
“I think she’s going to be an All-American before she’s done here,” said Spencer, who earned that status as a shortstop during her Cal playing career that spanned 2002 through ’05.
Spencer said Smith provides the Bears leadership through her performance and her personality.
“Every practice she brings it. Every scrimmage she’s hitting the snot out of the ball,” Spencer said. “She has a way about her that’s fun to be around. She’s a grinder and a hard worker and people follow that.”
Spencer notes that Smith can have a discerning eye at the plate but also has the capability of hitting a ball that is out of the strike zone.
Smith developed that skill while working as a youngster with her dad, Greg. While pitching to her, he would encourage her to swing at everything so she would become comfortable hitting any pitch.
It’s an unconventional approach, Smith knows, but it’s paid off. “He encouraged me to get good on your worst pitches,” she explained.
In part because of her work as a catcher, Smith says she is able to detect the spin on the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. That provides an advantage, she said.
“Once I see something that’s flat, it’s like an immediate switch. It’s like, `Go, go go.’ “
Smith is excited about the Bears’ season-opening doubleheader at Sacramento State on Saturday, but she also has one eye on her future.
A public health major at Cal, she plans to pursue a career as a doctor and hopes to use the military — ideally, the Navy — as a means to attend medical school.
She would like to become a trauma-room physician and looks forward to perhaps doing her residency overseas with the military.
Her dad works as a physical therapist, but Smith decided she wants to take it one step further.
“I told him his work is too boring so I have to do something that is a little more exciting,” she said. “Going to medical school will definitely fulfill that.”
Because spring sport athletes were granted an additional year of eligibility after last season was cut short, Smith is a third-year sophomore. She envisions five years at Cal, which she hopes will allow her to complete a Master’s degree before moving on to med school through the military.
“I do think I have a very good shot at getting in,” she said. “I’m a perfect fit. It would be a bummer for them not to have me. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I think it’s a perfect fit for both of us. I hope they see the same thing because I’m ready for it.”
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Cover photo of Makena Smith by Lauren Sopourn, KLC fotos
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo