Allison Smith will be a name you see on our Hot 100 2020 list. Smith burst on the scene this summer on Ohio Lasers Green winning ASA Nationals and the Atlanta Legacy tournament. 

It was no surprise to see Smith continue her journey in softball with her mom and dad as her coaches and biggest influencers. With so much success in the circle and at the plate, she still sees so much opportunity and growth.

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Name: Allison Smith

Position: Pitcher/ First Base

Club: Ohio Lasers Green

Hometown: Canton, Ohio

Graduation Year: 2020

High School: Champion High School

Key Stats & Accomplishments: At the Atlanta Legacy Allison went 4-1, throwing 22 innings, giving up 12 hits, 3 walks and 34 K's for a 1.59 ERA & 0.68 WHIP. She is also a very dangerous hitter, Batting .533 and OBP of .667. She has offers from Indiana & Ohio State, with a host of ACC and SEC interested in her.

How did you get started in softball? I played on my dad's pee wee team when I was 5. I played for my local organization. My best friend's dad started a travel team and that's how I was introduced to travel ball. 

What do you love about softball? I love how it's challenging. You challenge yourself in each game to get better. But I also like how you meet new friends with every game you get to meet new girls.

When did you start pitching? I started when I was 8. 

What made you stick with pitching for so long? I started off as a catcher and I pitched on the side.  When I started pitching, I really liked it. I was 10 when we were at nationals and I was the primary catcher on the team. I was the third pitcher on the team. Our second pitcher got hurt and I had to go into pitch. So I had to catch and pitch every other game. That's really the tournament when I realized that I love pitching and wanted to become a pitcher. So that's when I gave up catching and I started really working to be a pitcher.

How did the summer go? We had a great summer. We started off rusty but our team improved over the summer. Our hitting was good. Defense was awesome so that really helped me to feel more confident in my pitching.

As a pitcher, I think I had a decent season.

Why do you say decent? Because there's areas I can improve on like making sure my pitches are working more often than not. I had a couple pitches taken yard more than I would have liked. This winter I'm going to work on my movement pitches.

What was your favorite memory this summer? At Laser Nation, this was probably the best tournament I have every played in my life. I think I had maybe 10 home runs that weekend and I had an ERA under one. Our team ended up winning the tournament. My team scored 110 runs and gave up four runs.

Who works with you on your pitching and hitting? My mom is my pitching coach and my dad is my hitting coach.

How do you balance pitching and hitting? We have fields that are a mile away from my house. We pitch for probably an hour and half and then hit for probably another hour. Dad front tosses and we do tee work. Me and mom pitch when we're done.

It's nice having your coaches with you at every tournament. You're always able to learn from them when they tell you what you need to fix. 

Did your mom play softball? She pitched at Kent State for maybe a year. She wanted to go into the medical field and it was too hard for her to manage medical school and softball. So she gave it up. 

My dad coached boys baseball for 26 years. 

Where are you now in the recruiting process? We've been to a lot of camps my eighth grade year. So we're passed the point of camps. We are starting to take visits to some of these schools and looking at the academic side of school not just softball. We're going to play softball to get the academics and if we get money for it, that's great. 

What camps did you go to? All of the Big Ten camps except for Maryland and Rutgers.

What were your favorites? My favorite campuses are Ohio State, Northwestern, and Indiana. I really liked those three.

What schools are you planning on visiting? I love Ohio State. It's close and convenient for my parents. It's a three hour drive for us. I love the field. They have a great medical program. I think I want to go into the medical field but if I change my major then they have a hundred different majors. 

How do you feel emotionally about this whole recruiting process? It's hard. I got really stressed out trying to make decisions. With the two coaches I really like both of them and the fact that I have to say no to one of them…It's really hard to comprehend. Just the fact that I'm picking my future when I'm going to be a freshmen.

How are your parents doing with it? They want it to go slower. They want me to be sure that I know what I want to do. They want to get to know the campus. They want to make sure everything is safe. 

What are the most important things that you look for when you're looking at these programs? I want to make sure they have a lot of majors. If I were to change my mind, I want to make sure I would have a back up major that's available. Or if I didn't play softball would it be a school that I still wanted to go to? Make sure it's safe. 

What's something few people know about you? I used to ride horses. I gave up horseback riding lessons a couple years ago. I learned how to jump with the horse and run with the horse.

What's your favorite motto/mantra? Mistakes are proof that you're trying.

What's one thing besides your phone you can't live without? My friends.

What was the last song that you listened to? Closer by The Chainsmokers

Do you have any softball superstition? Yes I'm crazy superstitious about all my stuff. If I have a good weekend with a certain sports bra, I don't wash the sports bra. I wear it all week until I start doing bad and then I wash it. I won't change my cleats or my batting gloves in three years. They're all have holes.

If you could have any super power, what would it be? Super speed or strength. 

What's the best advice you've ever been given?  Short term memory is key.

What's your favorite thing about softball? Traveling and meeting friends

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be? Jennie Finch

Do you have a nickname? Alli, Princess, or Sass.

If you could describe yourself on the field and off the field in one word what would it be?

On the field: Competitive

Off the field: Silly

Who has been most influential in your softball career? My mom and dad.