BOONVILLE, N.Y.- The Adirondack Trail Blazers are proud to announce the hiring of Pitching Coach Jace Smith for the summer of 2018 season. Jace had an outstanding playing career as a collegiate pitcher at Hillsboro CC (TX), then King College where he garnered the best ERA in NAIA with a 1.06. during his junior season. After college in 2008, he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals where he played one season their Rookie Ball affiliate in the Arizona League. In his time there, he maintained a 1.15 ERA while amassing 13 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. In 2009 he signed with the Washington Wild Things who are a member of the independent Frontier League.

At the conclusion of that season, Jace retired from playing and attended Sam Houston State University where he earned his B.S in Kinesiology, followed up by earning a Masters Degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas State University. Jace currently is a private pitching instructor for Clutch Athletics, where he works with ballplayers of all different ages on their pitching, throwing motions, and biomechanics. He also is currently an Associate Scout with the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros.

GM Matt Burns on the hire:
“Jace will prove to be an invaluable asset to our organization, and the league as a whole. Our players are going to benefit greatly from his experiences as a player, a player developer, and a professional baseball scout. We are fortunate to have Jace on staff, and we are looking forward to another great summer.”