March 13, 2008 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Berkeley Softball Players Sign With SMC 

SPARTANBURG, SC –   Two Berkeley High School softball players recently signed with Spartanburg Methodist College’s softball program.

Seniors Rebecca Harris and Crystal Smith have signed National Letters of Intent to play softball with the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers in 2008/2009. 

“Rebecca is a great student and a very good softball player who will add a lot of versatility to our team. She is adept at both the catching position and in the outfield. Adding to her versatility is the fact that she hits from both sides of the plate. Early in her career Rebecca developed the slapping technique from the left side of the plate and has a high on base percent with this skill,” says SMC head softball coach Rick Pauly. 

Harris, who began playing softball at the age of eight, is in her third varsity season at Berkeley High School.  

“Rebecca fits in nicely with a recruiting class of high academic student athletes coming in next season,” says Pauly. 

She is a member of the National Honor Society and also works along with her mother in the Special Olympics program in Berkeley County. She is the daughter of David and Jane Harris of Moncks Corner, SC. 

Pauly says that Smith will also bring a great deal of strength to the plate as well as academic success. 

“Crystal will be a great addition to our program. She is a very good defensive third baseman who has the ability to play several other positions----she is a very good all around athlete. Offensively, she is a very good contact hitter that delivers when it counts. She has a great blend of athletics and challenges herself  with mostly honors classes and maintains a very high GPA,” adds Pauly. 

Smith started playing softball in her freshman year and has been a varsity player at Berkeley High School since her sophomore season. She is currently playing third base. 

She also has played summers with the South Carolina Hurricanes travel ball team.  

Smith is the daughter of Jack and Jenny Smith of Ridgeville, SC. 

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.   

The College is in its 97th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.  

For more information, contact head coach Rick Pauly at (864) 587-4399.