Matt Smith

Another eligible sophomore for the Rebels, first baseman Matt Smith, attracts more attention as one of the better hitters available from the SEC this year. Smith looks the part at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and hit 14 homers as a redshirt freshman, a school record for the class. He also struck out 80 times as a freshman in 227 at-bats, and he had adjusted as a sophomore. A solid runner and good athlete for his position, Smith had improved his batting average by 65 points, cut his strikeouts nearly in half and increased his on-base and slugging percentages--though he had hit just six home runs entering regional play. As a sophomore Smith has leverage, and teams may not be willing to pay for a righthanded-hitting first baseman with just six homers.