Fund: Doug Smith/Dr. Richard Small Baseball Scholarship Department: Intercollegiate Athletics D01099 Purpose: Undergraduate Student Support History and Purpose: For half a century, UC Riverside Highlander baseball has been a staple of the Riverside community, providing lasting memories for baseball fans of all ages and giving hundreds of young men the opportunity to play the game they love and to earn an outstanding education at the same time. Dr. Richard Small once played baseball for UCR. He also remembers well his student job at UCR's Citrus Experiment Station. Richard and his wife, Laura, a food safety instructor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, live on a 33-acre avocado farm in Fallbrook, Calif., near Escondido. A Zoology major at UCR, he graduated in 1961 with good friends Drs. Fred Bryant and Carl Fuglie. Richard went on to medical school at UCLA and became a radiation oncologist. The Smalls have supported UCR since 1977. This scholarship represents Richard Small's love of UCR baseball. "I think of it as payback to UCR," said Richard. And he means it in the nicest of ways. "UCR was instrumental in guiding me to my occupation. To my goals. I want to help others get there, too." One of the young people whom he's helping get there is daughter Jacquie, a community college student. She'd like to follow in her dad's footsteps and become a doctor. Doug Smith was appointed as the fourth head baseball coach in UC Riverside history in September 2004, following 25 years as the top assistant and hitting coach at his alma mater. Smith became the fastest coach in school history to reach 50 wins, doing so in just two years. He is the first coach in the program to have a winning record in his first two seasons, compiling a 57-52 mark. In his first season at the helm, UCR posted a 28-27 record, the program's fourth consecutive winning season at the Division I level. The team improved upon that record the next year, going 29-25. In a collegiate coaching career spanning over 1,500 games, Smith has helped the Highlanders to 10 postseason appearances, including one Division II National Championship, one Big West Conference Title, and two NCAA Division I West Regional appearances. As the Highlanders hitting coach, Smith has seen his teams set nearly every significant offensive school record, including batting average, home runs, runs, RBI and extra base hits. In addition, the 2003 Highlanders led the Big West in batting average and homers and had the fourth highest team batting average in Division I. In his career, Smith has coached over 150 all-conference selections and 34 All-America selections. During that time, nearly 100 of his players have been signed to professional contracts including 2007 Oakland A's first round pick, James Simmons. Smith graduated from UC Riverside in 1975 with bachelor's degrees in sociology and political science. An outstanding catcher, his senior year was highlighted by his performance in the All-Riverside Baseball Invitational Tournament, where he helped lead the Highlanders to their first-ever title and was the leading hitter at .471. Following the season he was named All-CCAA First Team. In 1989 Smith led the Kenai Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Summer Baseball League to a third-place finish at the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita, KS. Smith served as a part-time assistant coach from 1976 through 1980 while he pursued a master's degree in Physical Education from Cal Poly Pomona. After taking three years off to venture into private business, Smith returned to the Highlanders in 1983 until his retirement in June, 2014. Smith is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and enjoys playing golf in his free time. He and his wife, Ruthan, reside in Riverside with their daughters, Traci and Kelly. Selection and Guidelines: This fund is to provide a scholarship for a current student athlete competing on the UCR Intercollegiate Baseball Team. There is no application procedure for students. Coaches and the Director of Athletics will notify the student award recipients.