Marcus Smith joined the Rutgers softball coaching staff as volunteer assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
A veteran head coach in college softball, Smith most recently spent two seasons as the head coach of the Owens Community College softball program before the college announced the suspension of the program beginning in 2016-17. Smith and his staff were honored with the NFCA Regional Coach of the Year award in 2015.
Smith has earned more than 303 victories as a softball coach and has five Coach of the Year honors to his name. Along with back-to-back OCCAC Coach of the Year accolades in 2015 and 2016, he earned the 2006 Regional Coach of the Year nod for his work with St. Thomas University, and the 2013 South Carolina Lower State Coach of the Year award following Pinewood Academy's first regional championship in school history.
During his time at Owens, Smith guided his teams to a combined 58-32 record overall, a 20-4 mark in conference play, two conference championships, one Region XII District I championship and an NJCAA Division II National Tournament finish in the spring of 2015.
The landmark 2015 season saw Smith lead Owens to its third Region XII District I championship in program history, and the team went on to finish in the top 12 at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. He guided the team to a 32-18 overall record and a 10-2 record in OCCAC play. In doing so, Owens won its second straight conference championship.
Other notable softball experience includes:
- 2013-14: Head coach at Pinewood Prepatory School in Summerville, S.C.
- 2012: Assistant coach at Pillow Academy High School in Mississippi.
- 2011: Head coach at Olympia (Fla.) High School, where the team posted the most wins in school history with 16.
- 2009-10: Head coach at Central Florida Christian Academy.
- 2008: Volunteer assistant coach at University of California, Berkeley.
- 2008: Assistant coach - hitting for the Akron Racers pro team.
- 2007: Head coach at Northwest Christian Academy, which finished 33-5 record and won the 2A Arizona state championship.
- 2006: Assistant coach at University of St. Thomas (Minn.), where the team was the NCAA Division III national runner-up.
A 2004 graduate of University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Smith played fullback on the football team before joining the coaching staff at his alma mater. He graduated in 2005 with a B.A.
A native of Woodland, Calif., Smith graduated from Woodland High School, where he broke the school record for catches by a tight end with 27.
Smith and his wife, Kristen Butler, reside in Somerset, N.J. Butler was named the head coach of the Rutgers softball program in the summer of 2018.
