THSSB Cover Girl: Ella Kate Smith, Sr, P/OF, Katy
admin | Jan 27th, 2026
Ella Kate Smith is Senior P/OF for the 19-6A Katy Tigers. She has signed with the University of Oklahoma.
As a junior, Smith was 11-1 in the circle with 145 Ks and a 0.58 ERA. At the plate, she hit .614 with 15 HR, 24 2B, 4 3B and 45 RBI. 43 of her 62 hits were for extra bases. She was named the 19-6A MVP. She was also named to the THSCA 6A Super Elite Team.
OTHER
Smith also played for the USA U18 Women’s National Team that won the Gold Medal in the U18 Women’s Softball World Cup. The USA team went 6-0 and defeated Japan in the championship game 7-2. Smith was 2-0 with 5 Ks in 3.2 IP and had a 3.82 ERA in the tournament and hit .286 with 1 run scored
INTERVIEW
When did you know you had a special talent in softball?
Growing up I wasn’t always the best softball player. It was just something I did for fun with my friends. I started getting into it more and more but when CoVid hit that’s when I put a lot of work into it and started really growing and getting better. And when we came out of CoVid I was so much better and started getting more opportunities. And that’s when I started thinking I wanted to be an elite high school player and play elite travel ball and play softball in college. And I realized then that’s really something I could do.
You guys made it to the 3rd round in last year’s playoffs. How would you sum up last year’s season?
I definitely think we should have gone farther. We had a pretty stacked team and we all played together for many years. It was a hard year to lose when we did. But we only lost two games all year. So you can’t be too upset about that but I do think we learned something last year. We really grew as individuals with each other, which was something different. So obviously, I was disappointed that we didn’t make it as far as I wanted but it was a really good year.
Talk about the Clear Springs loss in the playoffs.
It was a tough loss. We lost on a walk off home run. We were up in the 7th inning and they had a 3 run walk off home run to end it. And she had two strikes on her. So it was a hard loss. But there was something different in that game for us. In past years, we would have a stacked team but at the last moment we would panic. And we didn’t this time, even though we lost. But we reflected on the game afterwards and realized that we handled that situation better. And that’s something we have worked on a lot in the off-season. Coach Vanatta has helped us to reflect as a team and her motto is “to leave us better than she found us.” At Katy, you are going to get pushed to be better and better. But she is also building us as women and individuals not just athletes.
What do you like about this year’s team?
This team is fun to be around. Katy softball has always been very serious. We are still serious but we know how to be a team outside the field. We do things together and I think that is really going to help us go farther in the playoffs.
What do you think it will take for you guys to go farther in the playoffs this year?
Honestly, we are not as stacked as some of the previous teams. We have a lot of good players but we have players who are having to play different positions. Adapting to that adversity early on will help us later in the season. We are going to have to break down every step and every play to make sure everyone knows what is going on. We will have to find new ways to get good outcomes and wins. I think that is going to help us in the long run to find ways to get runs and win games.
How do you see your role on this team?
I’m not an aggressive person on the team. I’m not really the loud leader type on the team. I’m more of a “I’m going to take you in and I’m going to talk to and say ‘Hey, I saw you doing this, let’s find a way to make that better.’” And I think that with the dynamic of our team it will help if I just lift everyone up and lead by example. I’m not going to get in your face and yell at you. I’m going to help you find a way to figure it out. In that way it benefits the player and it benefits all of us. So just finding a way that supports everybody. And I’m not going to think about this being my last year in high school. I’m going to focus on giving it my all and leaving it on my field and making it the best I have to give.
Talk about your USA Softball experience. What was that like?
That was a surreal experience, like a once in a lifetime experience. Playing the different countries was an incredible experience. Especially like China, Japan and China Taipei. They play the game so different. They are more quick-paced, tapping balls in play and creating chaos. In the USA, we are more hard hits, being aggressive. It was so different. It took a while for us to get used to playing against it. But it was so cool to get to know the other girls and to represent something so big. You had the USA across your chest and you know you are representing your whole country.
Why Oklahoma?
I went on 5 visits and couldn’t decide where to go. I was struggling and I had asked God to just show me and hit me in the face with the best place to go. Then the next day my recruiting coach called and said “What if Patty Gasso (Oklahoma Coach) called you?” And I just said, “Well, that would be a dream come true!” So I went on my visit several days later and it just had everything I wanted and it felt so right. And then later that night I called Coach Gasso and we were talking and she said “I feel like God put us together for a reason.” Even now, I get chills just thinking about it. But it really did have everything I wanted in a school. I’m going to get pushed as an athlete more than I ever could. I just feel like I’m going to be able to grow as a person and as an athlete.
PERSONAL
Parents: Shane and Kathy Smith
Age: 18
Siblings: Older sister and older brother
Current Favorite Singer/Group: Either Morgan Wallen or Olivia Dean
Favorite Restaurant: Torchy’s Tacos
Got to Fast Food: Chick-Fil-A
Last Movie I Saw: 10 Things I Hate About You
If you could travel to any place: Greece
What do you like to do outside softball: Cook, bake, outdoor activities, getting coffee
Favorite Athlete: Rachel Garcia
Biggest Win Last Spring: 10 inning game vs Barbers Hill to get ready for playoffs
Summer Softball Highlight: Getting to travel around and play with my team against other top teams
