Another outstanding era of Lower Columbia College baseball has come to an end.  Eddie Smith is leaving the Red Devil program to take the lead assistant job at Tulane University in New Orleans, effective immediately.

Smith will be the hitting coach and head recruiter for the Green Wave under head coach Travis Jewett, a former Lower Columbia College player in 1989 and 1990.  Smith replaces another former LCC player Billy Jones (1988).

It's a return to the NCAA Division I level for Smith, who previously served as an assistant at Notre Dame, Santa Clara and Virginia.
Coach Smith was an outstanding head coach in his four seasons at Lower Columbia.  His teams were 146-49 and won NWAC championships in 2015 and 2017.  In the 2015 season, Smith was named the ABCA National Coach of the year and the NWAC Coach of the Year.  He also received NWAC Coach of the Year honors last season.

"Smith left a great legacy in his four years here," according to LCC athletic director Kirc Roland.  "Eddie was an outstanding coach and recruiter and he brought in great talent and great young men.  His teams were not only talented, but they are great students and outstanding young men."

27 Lower Columbia players went on to the Division I level during Coach Smith's tenure in Longview.

"The memories and relationships created over the last five years at LCC have been some of the best of my life," said Smith.  "I will forever be thankful for this experience and will miss working with the players and coaches I have become so close with."

Assistant coach Eric Lane has been named the interim head coach for the Red Devils and he will serve in that role for the 2018 season.

"I'm excited and honored to be the next Head Coach of the Red Devils" according to Lane. "The outstanding support this community provides makes this a special opportunity for me, our assistant coaches and our team. I'm looking forward to competing with this group, and representing Lower Columbia College on the baseball diamond." 

Lane played two seasons at Lower Columbia and was the NWAC MVP during the Red Devils championship year in 2010.  He has been on Smith's staff for four seasons. Lane began his coaching career at Gonzaga after playing two seasons for the Bulldogs.

"Eric is one of the great Red Devils of all-time and he has been instrumental to our success as both a player and an assistant coach," said Roland.  "For stability sake, we are so fortunate to have Eric ready to take over. He'll do a great job."