AMERICUS, Ga. -- Former Georgia Southwestern State University pitcher Tucker Smith has agreed to terms with the Houston Apollos baseball club of the American Association of Professional Baseball.

The American Association is one of the great names in the history of professional baseball leagues in the United States. The first American Association was formed in 1902 as an independent minor league for the larger cities in the midwestern area of the United States. Today, the American Association footprint extends from Winnipeg, Canada, down to Cleburne, Texas, with franchises in the following states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Texas. 

Earlier this month, Smith completed his collegiate career at Georgia Southwestern and was named the Peach Belt Conference co-Pitcher of the Year. He's the third pitcher in Peach Belt history to repeat as Pitcher of the Year. Smith, a native of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., had the lowest opponents batting average (.184) in the league and led with 87 1/3 innings pitched. He ranked second in the conference in strikeouts (90).

Smith earned NCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending March 14, 2021, from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) after throwing a no-hitter at Claflin University on March 12. Over his career, Smith is a two-time All-PBC First Team selection, three-time PBC Pitcher of the Week, two-time NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week, 2019 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Second Team selection and 2019 Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and NCBWA First Team selections.

For more information on the American Association visit: aabaseball.com