A 1996 Crater graduate, Hans Smith was an honor student while excelling in football and baseball, and eventually reached his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.  Hans tells us, “My education at Crater High School gave me the foundation to follow my dream to play professional baseball”.  He was an honor student and in the top 5% academically while at Crater High as well as a member of the Honor Society.  He was a four-year letterman in both football and baseball, receiving All Conference honorable mention in football his junior and senior years and all conference 2^nd team his senior year in baseball and was voted the baseball team MVP his senior year.

In 1996 following graduation from Crater, he accepted a baseball scholarship to Fresno State University. (FSU)   Hans spent the next four years at FSU and was a 4 year letterman in baseball.  In 2000 he was named to the 2^nd team All American and FSU Pitcher of the Year.  He became the team’s all-time career save leader and set a school record for most appearances.  He was named to the 1^st Team All- Conference in the Western Athletic Conference in 2000.

Hans was drafted in the 11^th round by the Tampa Bay Rays and spent the next four years with that organization.  He then spent a year with the Schaumburg Flyers baseball 2005-2006 and a year with the Kansas City T Bones in 2007.

After his time in professional baseball Hans worked for Core Construction while completing his degree at Southern Oregon University earning a Bachelor of Science and Master’s degree in education in 2011.  Today Hans is an elementary teacher at Oak Grove Elementary School in Medford.

Hans was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Humboldt Crabs Baseball Team.  In 2001, he was selected to the California League All Star Team.