Many teachers at Chapman have interesting backstories, but social studies teacher and softball coach David Smith has one of the best. 

Smith is a former pro minor league baseball player in the New York Mets organization.

Smith found out he was drafted on a pretty typical day. He was working a summer job painting dorm rooms. 

“We took a break in the afternoon and I went back to my room to check my phone and saw that I had about 25 missed calls and several voicemails,” he said. “I called my scout back, and he told me I had been selected, and I didn’t really believe it at first.”

Smith says his favorite stadium to play was Keyspan Park (now called Maimonides Park) in Coney Island, New York, which had an intimidating atmosphere.

““That was my favorite stadium because it was right next to the beach on Coney Island,” he said. “There was an amusement park behind the stadium, and the fans were always right next to the field. We never had time to do anything outside the stadium, but it all created a very fun environment and was tough for visiting teams to play in.”

Although he is now more closely associated with softball, Smith thinks that playing baseball since a young kid has affected who he is today.

“It has always been a big part of my life and shapes me in ways I probably don’t even notice,” he said. “I started playing baseball at three years old and coached baseball up until a few years ago when I came to Chapman and started coaching softball. Many of my habits are still a result of things I did when I was playing.”