BOONE, N.C. - Head coach Kermit Smith and former hitting coach Erik Lunde were inducted into the Lander Athletics Hall of Fame.
"I'm extremely humbled by this honor," Smith said. "To me, this is representative of the sacrifice and belief of a lot of really good coaches and players. I worked for a great administration led by Dr. Ball and Jeff May. I am very thankful for their trust and belief in me back in 2009 and our continued friendship today. It's not something you ever think about, so it's kind of surreal."
Smith coached the Lander Bearcats' baseball program for seven seasons, 2010-16, before joining App State. During his seven-year campaign, Smith compiled an overall record of 244-134. His 244 win total propelled him to the all-time winningest coach in Lander baseball history, leading the Bearcats to two Division II World Series appearances.
In 2014, Smith's squad posted a school record 52 wins, captured the South Atlantic Regional, and competed in the NCAA Division II College World Series for the first time in school history. The Bearcats led the country in home runs and runs scored during their storied 2014 World Series appearance.
Smith's final season at Lander marked another milestone for the program as the Bearcats finished ranked No. 3 in the Collegiate Poll, highest in school history. Sixteen of Smith's student-athletes signed professionally while at the helm of the Bearcats.
Erik Lunde played for Smith at Lander and would follow Smith to the High Country after graduation and a two-year professional stint.
Lunde was hired as a volunteer assistant at App State in 2016. In 2018, Lunde was named as App State's hitting coach as the Mountaineers would go on to boast three .300 hitters in his 2019 debut and two .300 hitters in 2020.
Collegiately, Lunde was a four-year member of the Bearcats competing in 205 games and was named team MVP as a freshman. As a senior, he set the Lander school record for single-season hits (94) and assists (219) while tying the most games played and started at 61.
Lunde finished his senior season ranked third in the country in total bases (164), hits (94) and runs scored (76) leading Lander to its school-record 52 victories and its first-ever College World Series appearance.
