DURHAM, N.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – North Carolina Central University sophomore
Nate Smith has been named the Nationwide Insurance NCCU Student-Athlete of the Month for April 2011 in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the classroom, in the community, and on the diamond as a member of the baseball team.
The Raleigh, N.C. native missed 16 games due to a horrific hand injury after having it stepped on by a member of Longwood University on March 2, 2011. Prior to the injury, the outfielder was batting a solid .333, and after missing close to a month of action he went right back to it and also saw his run production skyrocket. Throughout the entire month, Smith batted .333 (19-for-57) in 17 games played where he racked up three doubles, two triples, two homers, 12 runs scored, and 17 RBIs, arguably the best performance by an Eagle during an entire month. Smith also recorded a staggering .614 slugging percentage and stole another three bases in the month. Defensively, the sophomore had 41 putouts and a .976 fielding percentage.
In the 17 contests he competed in through the month of April, Smith recorded five multi-hit games including a 3-for-5 effort at the dish with two runs scored and two RBIs at Longwood University on April 14.
In a three game span from April 8-12, Smith went 5-for-11 (.454) with two home runs, two triples, five runs scored, and five RBIs.
His best individual game of the month came on April 21 at Savannah State University where he went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and five RBIs.
Smith finished the season leading the team with 24 RBIs, he had the highest slugging percentage on the squad at .575, and was second in batting average at .333 on the year.
The Parks and Recreation major has not only gotten the job done on the field, but he sports a 3.0 grade point average and this summer he will work numerous baseball camps and is slated to intern at the Green Road Recreation Center in Raleigh, N.C.
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