Spruce Creek coach honored in 'powerful' moment before all-star game
TL;DR
Spruce Creek High School players participated in the Cure All-Stars Baseball Game on May 13, just days after the tragic loss of their assistant coach, Adam 'Stump' Smith, in a car accident. The game served as a poignant tribute to his impact on the local baseball community.
Key points
- Cure All-Stars Baseball Game held on May 13
- Players mourned the loss of coach Adam 'Stump' Smith
- Smith died in a car accident on May 10
- Game served as a tribute to Smith's impact on baseball
- Players from multiple high schools participated
Mentioned in this story
High school players from Volusia and Lake counties faced off in their fifth annual Cure All-Stars Baseball Game on May 13 in Sanford, but many carried a heavy heart into the game.
For Spruce Creek High School athletes Mason Sanders, Jordan Livingston and Joe Christen, the game comes just four days after the loss of their assistant coach, Adam "Stump" Smith, a name known throughout the Volusia County baseball community.
Smith was killed in a single-vehicle crash in the early hours of May 10 in Port Orange.
Coaches serve as mentors to their athletes, and Smith was no exception. His contributions to baseball in Volusia County have touched the lives of players at Spruce Creek, New Smyrna Beach High School, Deland High School, and beyond, say coaches and players.
"I've had players that played for (Smith) and a couple of coaches that coach my kid in private lessons. They know him personally and everybody spoke (of him) to a high level. Just a young life gone too soon," said Brandon Campbell, the father of one of the Volusia players representing Mainland High School at the game.
Volunteers with the Friends of Gamble Rogers donate their time and work at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County, just south of Flagler Beach.
A member of the Friends of Gamble Rogers works on a project. The volunteer group provides helping hands at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County, just south of Flagler Beach.
The Friends of Gamble Rogers works on dunes along A1A in Volusia County south of Flagler County. The volunteer group works to improve Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area and North Peninsula State Park.
Members of Friends of Gamble Rogers, also known as FROGRS, are looking for more volunteers to help at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and nearby at North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County.
Friends of Gamble Rogers, a volunteer group also known as FROGRS, recently won a grant to help improve the guided kayak tours at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach.
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Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
Volunteers with the Friends of Gamble Rogers donate their time and work at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County, just south of Flagler Beach.
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Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
Volunteers with the Friends of Gamble Rogers donate their time and work at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County, just south of Flagler Beach.
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Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
A member of the Friends of Gamble Rogers works on a project. The volunteer group provides helping hands at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County, just south of Flagler Beach.
3 / 5
Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
The Friends of Gamble Rogers works on dunes along A1A in Volusia County south of Flagler County. The volunteer group works to improve Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area and North Peninsula State Park.
4 / 5
Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
Members of Friends of Gamble Rogers, also known as FROGRS, are looking for more volunteers to help at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach and nearby at North Peninsula State Park in Volusia County.
5 / 5
Volunteers sought for Gamble Rogers, North Peninsula parks
Friends of Gamble Rogers, a volunteer group also known as FROGRS, recently won a grant to help improve the guided kayak tours at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area in Flagler Beach.
Creek assistant baseball coach Adam Smith honored at all-stars game
Before the game, coaches, audience members, and athletes were asked to stand for a moment of silence and prayer to honor Smith. The announcement remembered him as a "dedicated leader" who "had a passion for coaching and was loved by all."
"The moment of silence at every single sporting event that we do is just such a powerful moment. Not only can you just like feel the energy of the room shift, but it really makes the players and fans realize that they are playing for such a bigger purpose than just baseball," said Orlando Sports Foundation Director of External Operations Madison Mehringer-Blackburn.
"It (the moment of silence) was powerful ... the gentleman, coach sitting next to me, he is not really a spiritual person ... I saw him pray for the very first time," said Jon Hoskinson, a baseball coach at Lake Minneola High School in Lake County.
Matt Cleveland, the Hawks' head baseball coach, was not present at the game. Despite Cleveland's absence, his players brandished Smith's affectionate nickname, "Stump," on a black wristband, honoring their late coach as they played.
Spruce Creek baseball players wear wristbands during the Cure All-Stars Baseball Game in Sanford on May 13, 2026, to honor their coach Adam Smith who died Sunday, May 10, 2026.
"As sports officials, we get to know these coaches on and off the field, and he was very well respected, because he was at multiple schools throughout the county," said Adam Bates, an umpire of over 30 years in Central Florida. "(Smith's death is) very raw as we come down to into the school year ... I've talked to some about it. It just hit people very hard. So these kids (are) just dealing with a lot of emotion."
The significance of coaches like Creek's Smith to their players
Ultimately, the Volusia County all stars lost to Lake County, 7-4. Senior athletes from both teams fought hard and were able to make it as far as they did thanks to the steady mentorship and training of their coaches. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity to learn with Smith was tragically cut short for the current and upcoming Spruce Creek baseball team.
"It's a loss on multiple levels, and it's a loss in the future, because you're going to make an impact there. There's fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh graders that didn't know that they were going to be influenced by somebody like (Smith)," Bates said.
Not every player has a role model to look up to in their own household. Hoskinson told The News-Journal that coaches are people players can look up to as a father or mother figure.
"Coaches have some of the biggest impacts on kids with development — mentally, physically — but really just the shared experiences you have," Hoskinson said. "It just takes one person to change someone's life forever in a positive way, and that's what we're called to do (as coaches), is to make an impact on the next generation that can step up in some way in society."
Beyond their generational impact, the trajectory of one's life can be changed with a good coach.
"For me growing up, coaches were like big mentors in my life, personally. Not all kids, including myself, come from backgrounds that we can all say we're proud of and that we learned the right things. Some of the coaches that I had, I know growing up, showed me there was a different way to live life than what I was actually seeing ... So those coaches told me I didn't have to be what I came from, and led me to do different things in life," Campbell said.
The impact Creek's Adam Smith's death on athletes
The all-star game was hosted by the Florida League and the Orlando Sports Foundation, an organization that raises funds to find a cure for cancer. When audience members first walked into the Sanford Memorial Stadium, they had the opportunity to write the name of someone who was impacted by cancer on a sign to honor them with a tribute during the game. This, coupled with the moment of silence for Smith, marked solemn moments in the stadium.
"Death is inevitable, and it's something that's a horrible thing to go through, to grieve and be in a dark place, but lots of these players use this sport as their outlet," Mehringer-Blackburn said. "I'm sure that they're probably thinking that Coach Smith would want them to ... get out there and and put on the show and play their best game."
Losing a fellow athlete can go beyond losing a coach. Two sophomore baseball players at Lyman High School, Micah Pringle and Ben Cotignola, watched the all-stars game from the bleachers. The boys spoke to The News-Journal about losing a teammate earlier this year.
"He was our best friend, too. He'd be here right now," Micah Pringle said. "Everything we do now it is for him, literally everything."
When playing in their first baseball game after losing their best friend, they "won big" against a team they hadn't beaten in four years.
"It was sad, it was kind of special ... I kind of felt like he helped us win," Micah Pringle said.
Resources for athletes struggling with death, hardship
David Pringle, a Central Florida native and baseball coach, is a part of Brains and Bases, a family-run non-profit in Seminole County. The organization teaches youth and high schoolers exercises to help with breathing, visualization and cognitive reframing. He provided The News-Journal with mental health resources for athletes struggling with the death of someone they were close to.
They include:
- Positive Coaching Alliance
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Above all, Pringle says the best resource for someone dealing with hardship is the people around them. This includes teammates, parents, mentors, guidance counselors, teachers, and coaches.
"We all need each other during times like this. It’s a vital part of coping with a loss as heavy as what the Spruce Creek community is enduring. The entire Volusia County and Central Florida baseball region is here to support everyone affected by Coach Smith’s passing," Pringle said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Baseball community unites in remembering late Spruce Creek coach
Q&A
Who was Adam 'Stump' Smith and how did he die?
Adam 'Stump' Smith was an assistant coach at Spruce Creek High School who tragically died in a single-vehicle crash on May 10.
What was the significance of the Cure All-Stars Baseball Game on May 13?
The game was significant as it honored the memory of Adam 'Stump' Smith, occurring just days after his death, and highlighted his contributions to the local baseball community.
Which high schools were represented in the Cure All-Stars Baseball Game?
The game featured players from Volusia and Lake counties, including athletes from Spruce Creek, New Smyrna Beach, and Deland High Schools.
How did the players feel going into the all-star game after the loss of their coach?
Many players carried a heavy heart into the game, reflecting on the loss of their beloved coach and mentor, Adam 'Stump' Smith.
