During Smith's initial 10-year reign with the Lady Saints, St. Francis qualified for the District 20 playoffs each season and captured the tournament title seven times. USF also won seven Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference crowns and made three NAIA World Series appearances, including the 1988 and 1993 seasons when the Lady Saints placed ninth in the nation.
USF was a mainstay in the top-20 rankings during that decade, as well, appearing eight times, while also stringing together five consecutive 30-win seasons between 1989 and 1993.
In 1995, Smith journeyed east on Interstate 80, eventually stopping at Valparaiso University (IN), where he served as the Crusaders' head coach for two seasons in 1995 and 1996. His overall head coaching record in 16 years stands at 463-389 (.543)
A native of Huntington, Indiana, Smith was introduced to the sport of softball in California and Japan during a tour of duty in the United States Army. That came in 1953, making this year his 56th associated with the sport.
Smith received his bachelor's and law degrees from Indiana University before spending 21 years as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
He and his wife, Ruth, reside in Monee. They have two children, Tracy and Ernie, and two grandsons.
Ed
Wendler
Assistant Coach
Prior to making the move to USF in 2003, Ed Wendler spent his entire 10-year coaching career with the New Lenox Lightning softball team, which he co-founded.
While coaching the Lightning, Wendler's team's qualified for either the ASA or NSA nationals nine times and placed among the top 30 teams in the country on three occasions. New Lenox's best performance came in the summer of 2000 when it finished 10th at the NSA national tournament.
The Lightning also captured tournaments at Thornton High School as well as in Morris.
In addition to coaching, Wendler is also a maintenance technician at Caterpillar in Joliet.
He and his wife, Linda, live in Coal City. They have two children, including Autumn, a former USF pitcher and currently an assistant coach, and one grandchild. |
