Goose Creek pitcher Cody Smith records his second no-hitter of the season

Goose Creek sophomore pitcher Cody Smith was ecstatic when he pitched a no-hitter on March 19 against crosstown rival Stratford.

“I was kind of excited about it,” said Smith who just missed a perfect game when he walked a batter. “I felt really good about it. It was very exciting. It was something I had never done.”

Twenty-two days later, it was pretty much a ho-hum, no big-deal experience when Smith pitched his second no-hitter of the season.

He accomplished the feat Tuesday night when Goose Creek defeated Geneva (N.Y.) High, 6-0, in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament. He walked two batters, and another reached on an error.

“The mood just wasn’t the same,” Smith admitted. “It wasn’t quite exciting as the first one. But it felt pretty good.”

Batters will be feeling pretty bad as the super soph makes the transition from thrower to pitcher. His fastball is in the 82-84 mph range and occasionally reached 88.

The right-hander hasn’t mastered his secondary pitches just yet. But coach Scott Durham says give his player time.

“He works hard,” Durham said. “He’s a good kid and his parents have instilled discipline. He doesn’t have a great curve or changeup. He’s not as consistent with those pitches. When he gets control, command of those pitches, look out.”

Smith has been in the program since he was in the eighth grade and is the No. 2 starter behind ace Zach Lavery. He has recorded three victories and has struck out 39 batters in 292/3 innings of work. Smith leads the Gators with a 1.89 ERA.

He became the first Goose Creek pitcher to beat rival Stratford two times in a season when he was credited for the victory with four innings of work in an 8-5 decision over the Knights.

“If he continues to develop and work hard, I think he’s probably an ACC-, SEC-type pitcher,” Durham said. “But he has to keep working.”

Smith, who also plays the middle infield, also leads the Gators in three categories: 24 hits, three triples and a .381 batting average. He is second on the team in runs and RBIs.

“He’s obviously a kid who has a lot of potential,” Durham said. “He’s a good hitter, but what stands out is that he’s had two lights-out pitching performances.”

Smith could blow his fastball by hitters when he was younger. Now, he realizes that he has to master the curveball and changeup.

“As a pitcher, I have to keep working on everything, just not what I’m good at,” he said. “You want to have success, but sometimes you can struggle when working on pitches that are harder to throw.

“But I have to develop as a pitcher. I know I just can’t rely on my fastball.”

Follow Phil Bowman on Twitter: @pandcphil.