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At Hazelwood School District’s Barrington Elementary School, a youngster’s baseball talent and ambitions for the major league are taking him to Japan this summer for an international experience most boys dream about.

Fifth-grader Andrew Smith is an outstanding student in the classroom and a pitcher and second baseman on two youth baseball teams, the Cobras and the Dynamos. His recent affiliation with USA Baseball is taking Smith to Tokyo in July.

“I was at camp and this guy was checking other people out and he saw that I
was good,” Smith said.

“Good” may be an understatement.

“Since his arrival last year, he has helped our team achieve a level of greatness that is well above the average fifth grade baseball team. His skills as an athlete are complemented by his great attitude on and off the field,” said Mike Siegler, coach of the Cobras. “Andrew has worked hard for his trip to Tokyo this summer and it is a pleasure for his teammates and coaches to be represented by such a quality ball player and person. Andrew is a great leader and he has set the bar for other players to follow.”

Andrew’s parents said their son has been playing baseball since he was 5. “It’s a great honor and privilege for Andrew to have the opportunity to represent the USA in Japan’s version of a little league world series involving 15-plus nations,” Glenn Smith, his father, said.

Mrs. Smith said Andrew’s uncle is going to Japan as an interpreter for the team. “He speaks fluent Japanese—his wife is Japanese,” she said. “His uncle gave him a Japanese language book. He calls Andrew every week with a new phrase to learn.”

While in Tokyo, members of the 12-member team will stay with host families.
“There is one host home for every two boys so there is a family over there that will take care of them. The uncle will stay with the coaches,” Andrew’s mom said. “When they get back from Japan, they will have the Goodwill games here in Ellisville and we will host boys from Japan.”

The youngster makes class assignments a priority even with a full calendar of activities dedicated to baseball (105 games this year). “I try to do homework on the bus or in the mornings,” he added.

Trying brings results. “Andrew is the ideal student. He has received honors each quarter and even received a 4.0 this year. Andrew is in the GALACTIC (elementary gifted) program and is considered a math whiz in the class,” said his teacher, Warren Fajatin.” He has also been an ideal peer to his classmates

While Smith is younger than most of the players on the Dynamos baseball team, Steven Ralls, Smith’s coach with the Dynamos, said skill makes up what he lacks in age and size. “His physical abilities are as strong as the best 13-year-old player on the team. What he may lack in size is more than made up for in his “baseball smarts.” He knows the game inside and out and his head is always in the game. He is constantly thinking about what’s next and the strategy of the game,” Ralls said.

“All of this work and support from his family is paying off as he goes to represent St. Louis, the USA, and little league baseball to the rest of the world,” Ralls added. (story courtesy of Hazelwood School District)

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