Denise Smail joined Oregon State's softball program in just its second season and to this day remains one of the program's most decorated players. In four seasons played in Corvallis, she helped lead the program to three appearances in the Women's College World Series.
While Title IX had passed some four years before Smail stepped foot on campus, the program still had ways yet to go not nearly what it is today. Collegiate softball was governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as it had still yet to be recognized by the NCAA.
Oregon State's inaugural season was a promising one at two games (8-6) over .500, and left high aspirations for the future. It did not take much time for Smail to make an impact in Corvallis she helped lead the Beavers to a 15-7 mark in her freshman year in 1977.
Years two and three saw consistency with back-to-back 18-win seasons and trips to Omaha, Neb., for the Women's College World Series, though it took until her last trip to Nebraska for multiple WCWS wins.
Smail was a two-way player on the diamond and a great one at that. In her senior year, she accumulated eight complete game shutouts, a program-best that still stands. Throughout her time on campus, she had 15 from the circle, which stands currently as eighth-best in OSU history.
On the offensive side, she performed just as well. Decades later, she still holds the program benchmark for batting average in a season (.507). Her mark of 39 runs scored in her junior season did not get matched until 2001 and did not get surpassed until 2003. The .359 average she hit at the plate over her career sits second best in program history, and the closest people have come to it is 12 points shy.
In her final games with the program at the WCWS in the 1979 campaign, she impressed as she fanned 13 batters, recorded a 0.75 ERA and slugged a .364 average from the plate.
Not only was making the WCWS an incredible achievement, but it also helped highlight the promise for women's sports at Oregon State.
To this day, Smail holds her place in the history books of Beaver softball and helped set the foundation for what it is today. Rightfully she is in the Oregon State Hall of Fame.
"Title IX set the stage for important growth, and we are grateful to all of the pioneers of women's athletics who helped create opportunities for our current generation of student-athletes," said OSU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Barnes.
"We look forward to sharing the stories of some of our outstanding past and present female student-athletes, coaches and staff members throughout the 2022-23 year."