Pitcher Dagmar Smith, the SportsInk.com Athlete of the Week for April 3-9, leads the Black River softball team in more ways than one.

The super sophomore is already 8-1 on the young season with a one-hitter to her credit, and, as the team's leadoff hitter, she is also productive at the plate with a .479 batting average.

“I started playing softball with my family around 8 years old, and I have never stopped," Smith said. "I love it."

Praised Black River athletic director Bruce Lorincz, “She is a joy to have in our school, and she can also play the game pretty well.”

Last year as a freshman, Smith led Medina County in strikeouts with 188 and was named first team all-county.

“I can’t say enough about her talents," Pirates coach Merle Simmons said. "She has pinpoint control, and more than anything, she gives our team the confidence that we will win when she is out there.”

And Smith is out there all the time, though not always as a pitcher. If she is not in the circle, then she is the team’s second baseman, a position she plays with her traveling team in the summer.

The pitching rubber in Ohio high school softball was moved back from 40 to 43 feet this season. Has that effected Smith?

“It did at first, but with my various pitches, it now has helped me (in giving the pitches a greater distance to move, making them even harder to hit),” she said.

Smith’s best single-game career pitching performance with the Pirates actually came in a loss to LaGrange Keystone in a marathon Patriot Athletic Conference game. She threw 15 of the 17 innings, striking out 19 with no walks.

“I’m pretty proud of that game even though we lost. I was locked in,” Smith said.

She's locked in on most days.

“We rely on her a lot in the circle, and with her ability to change speeds and throw strikes, we are in every game she pitches," Simmons said.

"And that is a good feeling.”

Dagmar Smith

Sophomore

Black River High School

Softball

TV:  “The Office”

Movie:  “A League of Their Own”

Pizza:  Banana peppers

Home Cooking:  Chicken paprika

Class:  Math

Bucket List:  Travel the world