A former four-year starting third baseman for the Vulcans, Natalya Smarra enters her third year as an assistant coach at Cal U in 2019.
Smarra started at third base from 2013-16 and was a three-time All-PSAC West selection. She helped Cal U win back-to-back PSAC Tournament Championships in 2014 and 2015. Smarra finished her career tied for seventh in school history with 24 homers and ranked eighth with 281 total bases. She posted a .331 average (176-for-531) over her career while starting over 180 games.
A Sto-Rox product, Smarra rejoined the program in 2017 as a part-time assistant coach at semester break. The Vulcans finished with a 22-17 overall record and appeared in the PSAC Tournament after qualifying in the last week of the regular season. Cal U featured the PSAC West Athlete of the Year in shortstop Emily Price, who was also selected a NFCA All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Cal U qualified for the 2018 PSAC Tournament on the last day of the regular season by virtue of a doubleheader sweep on the road. Following the season, the Vulcans were the recipients of the PSAC Team GPA Award for the first time since the inception of the award and were later featured among the NFCA Top 10 All-Academic Teams for the third time in six years.
Smarra hit at a career-high .342 clip as a junior in 2015 and helped the Vulcans post a 43-13 overall record. Cal U claimed the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship that season and advanced to the NCAA National Championships for the first time since 1999. The Vulcans earned a pair of victories at the national site to cap the program's winningest season in 15 years.
As a senior, Smarra ranked among the league leaders in multiple offensive categories. She led the team and tied for fifth in the PSAC with a career-high 44 RBI, while also registering a .580 slugging percentage behind eight homers. The Vulcans advanced to the PSAC Championship for the fourth-straight year with Smarra hitting over a .350 clip in the tournament.
Smarra earned a bachelor's degree in sport management with a minor in marketing from Cal U in 2016.
