Coach Smith joined the coaching staff in the fall of 2021
Luke Smith played two seasons at Parkland College before transferring to Louisville. He earned All-Conference honors in the Midwest Athletic Conference as a freshman after registering a 10-0 record, 2.37 ERA and 80 strikeouts as Parkland finished No. 3 in the nation as a team. Smith had 12 strikeouts while throwing a no-hitter against No. 7 Lincoln Land College during his freshman season. Smith had an 8-2 record with 3.01 ERA and 81 strikeouts during sophomore season when team finished as the NJCAA National Runner-up.Â
Following his career at Parkland, Smith transferred to Louisville where he played 3 seasons. He compiled a 12-5 record with 103 strikeouts in 131.2 innings in his 3 seasons and was voted team captain in 2020 and 2021. Smith made four starts for the Cardinals before the season was halted in 2020, going 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA, picking up 18 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, including an eight strikeout performance over five innings in the series finale at Ole Miss. He made 18 appearances on the mound with 10 starts in 2019, going 6-1 with a 4.24 ERA in 68 innings. Smith tied his own Louisville record with 8.1 innings against Vanderbilt on June 21 at the College World Series, striking out a career-high 10 hitters.
Luke was born and raised in Champaign and attended Champaign Centennial High School. His parents are Tim and Sara Smith and his siblings are Olivia, Walker and Marissa
