Kylee Smith

But, the journey has not always been easy.

"Throughout my softball career I've faced a lot of adversity and hard times, so I thought there's no way," that I would earn such an honor, Smith said. "There are so many other amazing people that we have played or I saw play. I wondered, 'How did I get it?'"

Smith, a 20-year-old rising junior at UNG, initially felt shock rather than excitement when she received the 2018 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaching Association (NFCA) Division II National Player of the Year award. In comparison to other pitchers, she is quite different. Smith is only 5 foot 3 inches tall, while a typical softball player is 6 foot 3 inches tall.

"I was always told I was too small," she said. "I was never going to get anywhere with softball. I should just quit. I shouldn't play anymore because I didn't have what it takes."

However, Smith persevered and succeeded. The Suwanee, Georgia, native finished the 2018 season as the NCAA Division II leader in three categories: 36 victories, 338 strikeouts and a 0.59 ERA. She also was named Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Pitcher of the Year, playing a key role in the Nighthawks' fifth-straight PBC regular-season and tournament titles, both conference records.

Smith's other 2018 accolades include being selected as the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Ron Lenz Pitcher of the Year, PBC Pitcher of the Week five times and National Pitcher of the Week once. She was also named to the D2CCA First Team, PBC All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team, and NCAA Division II Championship All-Tournament Team.

An extremely humble person, she credits the highest award to her fellow teammates and coach, Mike Davenport.

"Coach Davenport at UNG was the only one who took a shot on me and gave me a chance," she said. "I owe him everything in my softball career because he kept my dream going. He made the national player of the year award a possibility."

Her softball dream began at age 4 when her parents, in an attempt to let Smith and her brother become athletically engaged, signed them up for all kinds of sports. But, it was softball that stuck.

"It's been a big part of my life," she said. "My parents actually met playing slow-pitch together. So, they put me into softball and I just picked it up and loved it."

As a pitcher, Smith is involved in every play, making her a natural leader. However, she does not like to think of her position as the nucleus of the team.

"Your team looks to you to step up and they're right there behind me. They make amazing plays," she said. "So, we have eight other leaders on the team besides the pitcher in the circle."

After winning the award, Smith had time to reflect on her own individuality in regard to the team. The nomination taught her a lot about herself.

"I can do it. I can push through it. I can fight through it. I can step up," she said. "I'm not going to roll over if it's going bad. I'm going to push through it and I'm going to give it all for my teammates, because I know they give it all for me."

Smith is looking forward to continuing her softball career while balancing a heavy academic workload. Her major is international affairs with a concentration in European civilization. She is considering minoring in French. Smith hopes to continue her travels around the world and work for an embassy in the future.