By Blake Chadwick

Since he was three, Carson Smith has had a baseball in his hands thanks to his dad, who sparked his love.

The two have had numerous games and practices in their backyard, preparing Smith to be where he is. Now, as a senior at Wichita Heights, the backyard work has paid off, as Smith is an extremely versatile piece for the Falcons.

Smith and his head coach, Mark McBratney, have a unique relationship from back to Smith’s middle school days when he was his summer coach.

“His dedication and passion for the game of baseball is something that a coach looks for in his players and team leaders,” McBratney said. “He never complains, is the first to finish running or team conditioning, and is typically one of the last to leave. He is a leader by example, and he does it with complete conviction, and he is a fierce competitor.”

The two have been through a lot together.

“It means everything to me for him to be coaching me for so long,” Smith said. “When I first met him, he was a hard-nosed and tough coach, and he will tell you how it is. I took that as a challenge to make me better. His way of coaching, I knew, was what was going to get me to the next level. And also learning that my dad played for his grandpa when he was my age is pretty awesome to think about, and it’s been the best years of my life playing for Mark.”

McBratney and Smith have had such a good relationship that his head coach has even said that if he had a daughter, he would want her to marry someone as good as Carson.

“Again, coming from Coach McBratney that means a lot,” Smith said. “I try to be the best person I can be both on and off the field. I pride myself on being a good person and good teammate.”