JOURNAL SPORTS
Brittany Frazier Smith received a funny text Tuesday morning from a colleague who said, “I knew it. I knew there was always a reason I called you ‘Big Country.’”
“I grew up in Shreveport, but I’m very country,” says Smith, who is leaving after four years as head coach of the Airline softball team to take the job at Lakeside High School in Sibley. “I’ve always liked that life.”
After contemplating the move on Friday, Smith spent the weekend praying over the decision and made a final decision on Monday.
“I’m not a spur-of-the-moment person,” she says. “God just kept speaking to me.”
Smith coached at Greenacres for two years starting in 2013 followed by four years as an assistant coach at Airline. In her second year as Airline head coach (2020-2021), Smith led the Lady Vikings to a 20-6 record and runner-up finish in the state championship.
“I love Airline, but I’ve always wanted to be at a smaller school,” explains Smith, who will be going from Class 5A to Class 2A.
The move will also mean a shorter commute for Smith’s husband, who works in Arcadia and has family in Simsboro.
“For the last four years, he was making a one-hour drive to work,” she says. “Now, he’ll be 22 minutes from work.”
The move will also mean more distance between Smith and her family – sister Tiffany Wood is the head coach at Calvary Baptist Academy and their father, Greg Frazier, is an assistant for the Lady Cavaliers.
“It will be sad to be farther from Calvary,” says Smith, “but we might actually be moving closer (to her sister).”
In her four years as head coach at Airline, Smith compiled a 73-31 overall record.
