It’s rare when a teenager wins the MVP Award at one of the ASA’s Major National Championships. But in 1982, at age 18, Brenda Smith did in leading the Richmond, Virginia Stompers to the national title in the Women’s Major Slow Pitch National Championship. It was her first year with the team. Brenda hit 12 homers and drove in 58 runs as the Stompers compiled a record of 68-9. In addition to being named MVP, Brenda was named the ASA Sportswoman of the Year and was recognized by the United States Olympic Committee. In the years that followed Brenda continued to excel at the Major level, winning ASA All-America honors eight times and being a member of four national championship teams. When the Stompers dropped down to Class A in 1987, she again was an All-American as well as the tourney MVP. Brenda was a total player. She could spray the ball to all fields and with power. Defensively, she had an outstanding arm and was a ballerina on the field, moving back and forth with ease and grace to make difficult plays look easy. A complete player in every sense of the word. In 2001, Brenda was inducted into the Central Virginia Hall of Fame. She is the 10th female elected to the ASA Hall of Fame in slow pitch. She joins Don Clatterbough, also of Mechanicsville, in the Hall of Fame. Foster also is a member of the Henrico High School and Virginia Commonwealth University Athletic Halls of Fame. At VCU, she scored 1,072 points in three seasons—1985-1987. She also had 761 rebounds and 215 steals.
