University of North Georgia Athletics

Ryan Smith is entering his second year as the Assistant Baseball Coach/Pitching Coach of the University of North Georgia baseball program. 

During his first year on the coaching staff in 2026, Smith helped lead the Nighthawks to one of their most successful seasons in program history. North Georgia finished the season 42-16 with a program record 26 wins in conference play. The Nighthawks went on to capture the program’s first outright Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Regular Season Title since 2017. North Georgia continued to see success in the postseason, finishing as the Runner-Up in the PBC Tournament Championship and making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional. 

Smith played a pivotal role in helping develop nine all-conference players, two all-region selections and a southeast region all-defensive player during the 2026 campaign. Three North Georgia pitchers (Matthew Heard, Kevin Cox and Andrew Duval) all earned 2026 PBC All-Conference recognition under Smith's guidance.

Prior to North Georgia, Smith was on the Georgia College & State University baseball staff where he primarily worked with the program’s pitchers while earning his master's degree in public administration.  
 
Smith graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology from the College of Charleston in 2022 where he also pitched for the Cougars for three seasons. Smith had an outstanding year in 2021 in which he made 18 relief appearances for a total of 22.0 innings. In that season he held a 2.45 earned run average and struck out 13 batters. 
 
Updated: July 2026