OMAHA, Neb. — Sean Smith Jr. has taken the long road from Pascagoula to the biggest stage in college baseball.
The former Pascagoula Panther and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout is now a key bat in West Virginia’s historic College World Series run. On Friday, Smith helped the Mountaineers win their first game in Omaha, launching a solo home run as West Virginia held off Troy, 7-5, at Charles Schwab Field, for their first ever College World Series win in program history.
It was not his first postseason statement.
One week earlier, in the Morgantown Super Regional, Smith delivered the kind of swing that changes a program’s history. With two runners on in the first inning against Cal Poly, the graduate designated hitter drove a ball to left-center field, hitting the scoreboard and giving West Virginia an immediate 3-0 lead. He finished that game 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored as the Mountaineers won 12-2, moving within one victory of their first College World Series appearance.
West Virginia finished the job the next day, sweeping Cal Poly and punching its first ticket to Omaha.
For Smith, the moment was another chapter in a baseball journey that began in Pascagoula. He was a captain for the Panthers and helped lead Pascagoula to the 2021 state championship series. As a senior, he hit .426 with six home runs, 10 doubles, a triple and 37 RBIs, earning Class 5A All-State and Sun Herald All-South Mississippi honors.
From there, Smith stayed close to home. At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, he played two seasons and built himself into one of the top junior college bats in the region. He hit .364 with 25 home runs, 85 RBIs and 88 runs scored across 90 games before moving on to Georgia Southern.
At Georgia Southern, Smith proved he could hit Division I pitching. Over two seasons, he batted .339 with 15 home runs, 63 RBIs and 65 runs scored. That production eventually led him to West Virginia, where he joined a veteran-heavy Mountaineer club that has become one of the best stories in college baseball.
By the time West Virginia arrived in Omaha, Smith was no longer just a transfer bat. He was part of the program’s identity, a reliable middle-of-the-order presence who brought power, experience and postseason calm.
West Virginia entered the College World Series as a first-time participant, but the Mountaineers have not played like a team simply happy to be there. Head coach Steve Sabins’ team swept Cal Poly by a combined 29 runs in the Super Regional, entered Omaha with one of the strongest pitching staffs in the field and opened the College World Series with a win over Troy.
Smith has been right in the middle of it.
His Super Regional homer gave West Virginia breathing room. His College World Series homer gave the Mountaineers another Omaha spark. And for Pascagoula, it gave the city another reason to look toward college baseball’s biggest stage and see one of its own.
From the Gulf Coast to the College World Series, Sean Smith Jr. has carried Pascagoula with him. And he is still swinging.
Pascagoula Players to Reach Omaha
Sean Smith’s appearance in the 2026 College World Series continues a baseball tradition that stretches back more than a half-century in Pascagoula.
According to research compiled by the Flagship Baseball Facebook page, Smith joins a select group of Pascagoula natives who have played on college baseball’s biggest stage in Omaha.
The first was Donnie Davis, a member of Pascagoula High School’s Class of 1967. Davis went on to star at Mississippi State from 1968-71, batting .349 during his four-year Bulldogs career. As a senior in 1971, he helped lead Mississippi State to the program’s first-ever College World Series appearance in Omaha. Following his college career, Davis was selected by the New York Yankees in the 11th round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft. He chose not to sign and later returned home, where he became head baseball coach at Pascagoula High School.
One year later, in 1972, Pascagoula was represented in Omaha once again when Rodney Siedell, a member of Pascagoula High School’s Class of 1969, helped lead Ole Miss to the College World Series. Siedell served as the Rebels’ starting third baseman during Ole Miss’ memorable run to Omaha, giving Pascagoula representation on the College World Series stage for the second consecutive season.
Siedell’s teammate on that 1972 Ole Miss squad was Jamie Morris, a Jackson native who would later leave his own mark on Pascagoula baseball history. After his playing days, Morris entered the coaching profession and served as head coach of the Pascagoula Panthers from 1980-81, creating a unique connection between one of Ole Miss’ College World Series teams and the Pascagoula program.
Pascagoula’s Omaha ties resurfaced more than two decades later in 1998 when Enrico Jones was a member of Mississippi State’s College World Series team. Although Jones redshirted during the season, he was part of the Bulldogs program that advanced to Omaha under legendary head coach Ron Polk.
Blair Varnes, a member of Pascagoula High School’s Class of 1997, emerged as perhaps the most accomplished pitcher ever to come out of Pascagoula. After signing with Florida State, Varnes redshirted during the Seminoles’ 1998 season that ended in Omaha before becoming a key member of Florida State’s College World Series teams in both 1999 and 2000.
Varnes played an instrumental role in Florida State’s 1999 run to the national championship series, where the Seminoles finished as national runners-up to Miami. Despite battling a knee injury, Varnes famously started the national championship game and delivered one of the gutsiest performances in Florida State baseball history. He returned to help lead the Seminoles back to Omaha again in 2000.
During his Florida State career from 1999-2002, Varnes established himself as one of the top pitchers in the country. He finished his Seminole career with a 41-10 record, earning Freshman All-American honors and being named the 1999 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year. His 41 victories remain among the winningest totals in Florida State history.
For many Pascagoula baseball fans, Varnes remains the gold standard for local pitchers. More than two decades after taking the mound on college baseball’s biggest stage, he is still widely regarded as the most dominant pitcher ever produced by Pascagoula High School.
Pascagoula Players Associated with College World Series Teams
- Donnie Davis — ’67 — Mississippi State (1971)
- Rodney Siedell — ’68 — Ole Miss (1972)
- Enrico Jones — ’97 — Mississippi State (1998 redshirt)
- Blair Varnes — ’97 — Florida State (1998 redshirt, 1999, 2000)
- Sean Smith — ’21 — West Virginia (2026)
Additional Pascagoula Connection
- Jamie Morris — Ole Miss (1972), later head coach at Pascagoula High School (1980-81)
Research compiled from Flagship Baseball, Pascagoula baseball historical records, and College World Series archives.
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