Fuller Smith is entering his third season on the Bearkat coaching staff after spending six seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UT Arlington.
In 2021, the Bearkats finished as the runner-up in the Southland Conference Tournament. That season Smith assisted in the development of outfielders Colton Cowser and Jack Rogers, one of the top outfield duos in the nation who combined for 32 home runs and over 110 RBI.
Cowser was the Southland Conference Player of the Year and a first-team all-American before being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as the No. 5 overall pick in the MLB Draft, the highest draft pick in Sam Houston and the Southland Conference's history. Additionally, Rogers was a second team all-Southland Conference choice and was taken in the ninth round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Before arriving to Sam Houston, Smith served as the recruiting coordinator and hitting/outfield coach at UT Arlington from 2014-2019. Since rejoining the program in 2014, Smith helped UTA produce and recruit 15 all-Sun Belt Conference performers and has seen 18 total MLB draft/signees.
In 2019, Smith assisted in the development of Connor Aube who finished third in the Sun Belt in hitting at .354 clip. The offense also finished with 41 homers, which is 10th all-time in program history. Six players finished with double-digit doubles with Aube leading the way with 18 on the year. As a team UTA was ranked as high as No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball poll which was the second time in three years the Mavericks had entered the rankings.
In 2018, the Maverick offense belted 42 homers putting them ninth all time in program history. Noah Vaughan hit a team leading 14 and was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 11th round of the MLB draft.
The 2017 season saw plenty of firsts for the Maverick baseball program as the team won their first Western division in the Sun Belt Conference since joining the league in 2014. The 20 conference wins were the most conference wins in program history and the Mavs won 10 consecutive conference games at one point, the programs longest league-only win streak. The Mavericks checked in as high as No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball poll which was the first time the program had been ranked in over 15 years (2002).
Smith assisted in the development of Brady Cox who was selected by the Royals in the MLB draft, while Omar Salinas and Will Olson also received all-Sun Belt conference honors.
Smith was a vital component in the Mavericks' fifth 30-win season in nine years in 2016, directing the Maverick offense to a .288 team batting average, second best in the Sun Belt Conference for the third straight year. Under his watch UTA saw four hitters earn all-SBC honors, including Darien McLemore and Brady Cox taking first team all-league and all-region honors.
In 2015 he was also able to work closely with seniors Travis Sibley and Levi Scott, two of UT Arlington’s best bats that both received Sun Belt all-conference honors. Sibley was a 2015 College Sports Madness Sun Belt all-conference second-team selection while Scott was named to the SBC All-Tournament team. The offense finished second in the Sunbelt conference hitting at .275 and also saw two more players drafted in June.
He made an immediate impact to the offense in 2014, directing the UTA offense to a .296 average, which was second in the league and the team's highest mark since 2009. That season's Mavs also cranked out 48 home runs and 125 doubles, which rank fifth and second in UTA history. As a team the Mavericks won 10 consecutive conference victories with is first in program history. The Mavericks also saw 4 hitters taken in the MLB draft and 6 overall which was is a program record for drafts/signees in a year. Matt Shortall and Ryan Bottger both earned first team all-Sun Belt conference honors during the year.
He returned to Ole Miss for the 2011 season and spent the next two years serving as Director of Baseball Operations, overseeing day-to-day operations and all Nike and Easton contracts with Rebels. He was also heavily involved in the on campus recruiting during his time at Ole Miss.
He transitioned into a volunteer assistant role coaching the Rebel outfielders in August of 2012 through December 2013, also assisting with hitting duties. There he helped oversee the development of 5th-rounder Austin Bousfield, 9th-rounder Braxton Lee and Houston Astros' free agent signee Tanner Mathis.
During his first stint at UT Arlington, Smith served primarily as the team's first-base coach, assisted with hitters, as well as the outfield coach. Smith helped the Mavericks to a school record 19 conference wins in 2010 and helped in the development of hitters Michael Choice and Preston Beck.
Choice earned several accolades that season, including First Team College All-America honors, Southland Conference Player/Hitter of the Year honors and was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Choice was also selected 10th overall to the Oakland A’s in the MLB draft. Beck was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
Smith originally joined the UT Arlington baseball coaching staff in 2010 after completing his collegiate playing career at Ole Miss. He was a model of consistency at the plate during his senior season (2008) batting .332 (69-for-208) with 39 runs scored, 14 doubles, seven home runs and 32 RBI. He was second on the Rebels in batting and ranked among team leaders with a .500 slugging percentage, .414 on-base percentage and was solid in the outfield committing only one error on the season.
Smith resides in Huntsville, with his wife, Whitney, and their three children, Harper (8), Cal (5), and Haven (1).
