ROCHESTER, N.Y. — During the summer, college baseball players scatter across the country to play in…you guessed it…summer college baseball leagues. One of those teams resides right here in Rochester, the Ridgemen. And this year, they’re being coached by a legend in the sport.
Coach Steve Smith’s resume is enough to shock any player on the Rochester Ridgemen.
“I was a little bit shocked. I mean, he’s about as qualified as you can get as a coach,” infielder Cael Allen said.
Yeah, 21 seasons at Baylor as head coach, a five time big 12 coach of the year and a decent hang, according to his players–all enough to makeup a great recruiter.
Steve Smith, the Skipper | Rochester Ridgemen hire NCAA coaching greatSmith’s credentials were enough to draw players from across the country. Infielder Marcellus Cueva said the decision to join the Ridgemen was easy once he learned who would be leading the team.
“No brainer. I knew he just has a ton of knowledge about the game,” Marcellus Cueva, a Ridgemen infielder, said. “He’s been around the game, been to the biggest stages. So if anything, I can learn from somebody, it’ll be great to just pick his brain.”
Smith first heard about the Ridgemen in 2014 when his son Case played for the team. By the time this year’s players showed up, they hadn’t just heard of him, they were learning more and more about his resume as the days ’til first pitch approached.
“I remember my college coach was telling me about him,” said catcher Brady Capps. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, he coached a while at Baylor.’ I didn’t even know about the team USA or any of that stuff until I got here. So it’s definitely very refreshing and it’s, great opportunity.
Smith worked with USA baseball in 1998, 2005, and 2019. In 2005, he was the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team manager and in 1998, the team’s pitching coach.
All of that–the stacked trophy case, three Big 12 titles, the experience, leads to one pretty simple question–why the Rochester Ridgemen?
“Well, I’m not coaching in college right now, and I’d like to coach college players,” Smith said.
Smith was fired from Baylor in 2015 and has since worked at Auburn, Tennessee Tech and with the Detroit Tigers. Now he’s back in the dugout with the Ridgemen, and still looking for the right fit to return to the NCAA game.
“I’m still beating on doors, but for right now, this is where I am,” Smith said.
Staying busy?
“Yup,” Smith said.
Though that’s not all Smith is doing–the experienced skipper genuinely wants to give his players a fair, and worthwhile experience.
“Clearly these guys are baseball players and most of these guys, they’re young, they’re either just finishing their freshman year, probably half the roster is coming out junior college,” Smith said. “We;ve got some D2’s, and D3’s, there are a handful of D1’s…it’s getting better, just helping them find themselves helping them, in some cases, sort of, hit the reset button.”
His players echoed that sentiment.
“This summer, what I’m hoping to accomplish is get better, grow my faith, win some baseball games, and just get a great experience,” Cueva said.
Cueva is from California, Smith spent the majority of his career in Texas, and the rest of Rochester’s roster is made up of players all over the nation–and from all over the college baseball landscape.
“The weather up here is a lot nicer,” Capps, who hails from Tampa said.
Making Brady Capps maybe the only person to ever say Rochester weather is better than Tampa’s
“At this time of year, definitely,” Capps said.
Smith said summer league baseball offers something college programs often can’t — room for players to fail and keep improving.
“There’s just not a lot of room in the game for guys to fail and keep getting the ball. But this is one of those places, and I’m going to figure it out,” Smith said. “That’s what I feel like my job is, is to get them the opportunity to get better.”
But that doesn’t mean, the Ridgemen, a faith-based team, isn’t still focused on winning. Smith, who won 768 college baseball games during his career, said his squad won’t compromise their values while competing.
“We don’t want to be that team in the league that is literally a bunch of choir boys who don’t know how to play. And so, we’re here to win,” Smith said. “These guys will be here to win. I’m here to win. But we’re here to win and not compromise who we are as people and what we believe.”
The Ridgemen play in the New York College Baseball League and play their home games at Bishop Kearney. Their next home contest is on Friday, June 12 at 5 pm.
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