Mike Ridaught
Today’s senior spotlight is on Weston Smith of the Williston baseball team.
He is the son of head baseball coach Jim Smith. Weston was a two-year starter for the Red Devils. His favorite baseball memory was winning the 2019 state title in Ft. Myers.
Last year Williston topped Union County to capture the Class 1A-District 6 title, then beat Hamilton County 11-1 in five innings in the regional semifinals. In the win against the Trojans, Weston was 1-for-3 with two runs driven in. The Red Devils held on to beat Madison County, 3-2, in the regional finals, and rallied for four runs in the sixth to beat Sneads 4-2 in the 1A state semifinals.
Williston won the Class 1A state title by beating Levy County rival Chiefland in the final, 4-2, to cap a 21-9 season. It marked Williston’s third state baseball title in six years. They won back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.
This season in just seven games played, Weston Smith had four runs driven in. Half of them came in a game this past February when he was 1-for-2 against rival Chiefland with two runs driven in.
Coach Smith said that Weston has a good knowledge of the game. He was unselfish, a great teammate, and a hard worker. He looks to continue his academic and athletic career in college and has baseball workouts scheduled with some colleges in the region.
If you or someone you know is a graduating senior who participated in spring sports this season, we want to hear from you. You can either send us an audio shout out which we will play on the radio, or send us your bio and I will voice it for you. For more information, please email mike@ThePrepZone.com.
Mike Ridaught is the founder and publisher of ThePrepZone.com, the foremost website for high school sports in northeast Florida.