For Joshua Smith, some of the best moments in baseball and softball don’t show up in a box score. They happen when a player tries a new position, bounces back from a mistake or simply decides they can’t wait to play again next season.

Smith has spent 11 years coaching baseball and softball, most recently leading the 14U DRI and 16/18U Fargo Scheels softball teams this past summer. When he’s not on the diamond, Smith works for Fargo Public Schools, where he continues to make a positive impact on young people in the community.

His connection to baseball and softball began long before he became a coach.

Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Smith discovered a passion for baseball that carried him from elementary school through high school.

Years later, the sport became something his entire family could share.

Smith and his wife, Jessica, have been married for 16 years and have four children — Landon, Jacob, Easton and Makenna. All four have participated in baseball or softball at different points, experiencing everything from Park Board T-ball to Fargo North High School and many programs in between.

“Over the years, baseball and softball have become something our whole family shares,” Smith said.

That family-centered perspective carries over into Smith’s coaching philosophy. Before worrying about wins, statistics or lineups, he wants to know the person wearing the uniform.

“My coaching philosophy has always been about building a relationship with each player at a personal level,” Smith said.

That means meeting athletes where they are, recognizing their strengths and encouraging them to push beyond the barriers holding them back. Just as importantly, it means celebrating progress along the way.

Smith believes one of a coach’s biggest responsibilities is creating an environment where athletes know their contributions matter.

At the beginning of each season, he meets individually with every player and asks about their goals and expectations. He writes those goals down and keeps them throughout the season.

The conversations can reveal things coaches might otherwise never know. A player may have spent the previous season at one position but desperately wants an opportunity to learn another. Sometimes, all they need is someone to ask.

Smith uses those conversations to help shape practices and game rotations, working to ensure that by the end of the season each athlete has had an opportunity to pursue something important to them.

Competition matters, but Smith doesn't believe the final score should be the only measure of a successful team.

He wants his players to bring a high level of sportsmanship and respect to the diamond regardless of the outcome.

“How we represent our teammates and show respect to our opponents, officials and team sponsor is what should truly define a great team,” Smith said.

Learning to compete also means learning to fail.

Baseball and softball provide plenty of opportunities for mistakes — a strikeout, an error, a difficult inning or a tough loss. Smith sees those moments as opportunities to teach something athletes can carry well beyond their playing careers.

“By teaching young players how to persevere and overcome mistakes and difficult situations, we reinforce an invaluable life skill that can't be taught enough to our kids,” he said.

Eleven years of coaching have also taught Smith that coaches need to keep learning.

One lesson came from realizing how easy it is for practices to become repetitive. When athletes know exactly what drill is coming next every day, energy and enthusiasm can disappear.

So Smith challenges himself to introduce at least one new game or drill into each practice.

He also encourages his athletes to find drills and games on their own and bring those ideas back to the team. It gives players another way to contribute and creates ownership in the team's development.

“Some kids just want the chance to be involved in more ways besides just playing,” Smith said. “So give them the chance to add something to the team.”

The same collaborative approach extends to the coaches alongside him.

Over 11 seasons, Smith has worked with numerous coaches who have shared their experience and knowledge. Rather than pointing to one person as his greatest coaching influence, he credits the many people who have worked beside him.

“Coaching a team takes a team,” he said.

Ask Smith to identify the greatest moment of his coaching career, and there isn't one championship, victory or play that rises above everything else.

Instead, he thinks about the people.

Years of coaching have given him a front-row seat to watch young athletes grow, succeed, struggle, persevere and eventually become young adults. Along the way, he has developed relationships with players and families that extend far beyond a single season.

Those relationships are the memories that matter most.

And when Smith considers the legacy he hopes to leave behind, his definition of success is equally simple: he wants kids to love the game enough to keep playing it.

As athletes grow older, their schedules become busier and opportunities pull them in different directions. Seeing players return season after season and continue making baseball or softball a priority tells Smith that coaches are doing something right.

Watching those same athletes eventually compete for spots on their high school teams makes it even more meaningful.

“To see an overwhelming number of kids wanting to continue and compete for spots on our high school teams makes me proud of the program my other coaches and I have built over the past few years,” Smith said.

Wins will be remembered for a while. Seasons eventually blend together. But helping a young athlete develop confidence, learn how to respond to adversity and discover a lasting love for the game can have an impact for years.



After 11 years in the dugout, that remains the kind of victory Joshua Smith is coaching for.