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The Memorial baseball team faced plenty of adversity this season. First year head coach Ahmad Smith said he was proud of his student athletes for sticking through a tough season.

With one game left, Smith wants to see his players continue showing their fight.

“I want them to come ready to play,” he said. “I want them to act like it is the first day. I am really proud of the seniors that have been here and put their heart and soul in it for four years. They stayed with it through a lot of downs. That is a lot of character that most people don’t have.”

The Titans play Crosby at 6:30 p.m. on the road.

Smith believes the younger players are on the right track.

“We have some guys that are younger brothers and their older brothers are seniors on the team,” he said. “It is a pride thing. They want to accomplish more than the other sibling.”

Smith said he understands the job of coaching is to win games but said his job is also to help develop young men.

“We want to give them the best tools on the field and off the field,” he said. “We want them to go on to do a lot of things. We want them to get a job and provide for a family. It shows up big. Their character is unmatched. I am thankful that they worked hard. We had a lot of downs and they stuck with it.”

Smith has been on the staff for four years but took over the head position this season. He had to learn how to coach kids by using different styles.

“Every kid is different,” he said. “You can’t coach every kid the same way. It takes a different attitude to get the most out of a kid. I figured that out. I got the most out of some young guys. Young guys are kind of tough. They didn’t have the luxury of being a freshman. They had to be on varsity and help. They had to grow up fast and play against guys that are a lot older than them.”

The head coach is looking forward to seeing the team’s progress carry over to next season.

“This year has been tough with a new coach,” he said. “I am a lot tougher on them. I think that is from my football background and culture. We are going to be a team that works. This summer, we are going to be more involved. We aren’t just going to pick it up in the spring and hope it carries over. We want to work in the summer and have a good team next year.”