University of Arizona Athletics

Taylor Smart is in his first season as a graduate assistant after being hired by head coach Jay Johnson in August 2017. He is the camp coordinator for the Jay Johnson Baseball Academy and assists in day-to-day activities for the Wildcats.
 
Smart came to Arizona from the University of Tennessee, where he served as a student assistant coach in 2017. His duties included assisting the infielders, working with hitters and serving as the first base coach for the Volunteers.
 
Smart’s one-year coaching stint in Knoxville came after two productive seasons for the Volunteers and a stint in professional baseball.
 
He played the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Tennessee. As a junior in 2013, he hit .267 with nine doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI. He also led the team in walks and sacrifice flies. A year later as a senior, Smart played in 53 of 54 games, starting 50 at third base and two at shortstop. He hit .292 as a senior with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 37 runs scored and 29 RBI.

Prior to Tennessee, Smart, a Washington native, played two seasons at Western Nevada College. He helped guide Western Nevada to a 45-15 record and a conference championship in 2011. He earned All-Region and All-Conference honors as a freshman. In 2012, he helped the Wildcats reach the 2012 JUCO World Series with a .407 on-base percentage and 34 RBI. 
 
Following his senior season at Tennessee, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26^th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft.
 
After a two-year professional career, Smart returned to Tennessee to join the coaching staff, before moving on to Tucson.
 
He graduated from Tennessee with a degree in sociology.