What do you do?

It’s the ninth inning and you just walked the bases loaded in a tie game. And to make matters worse, you’re staring at a 3-1 count.

Behind you, your whole team is waiting for you – the freshman – to throw ball four and lose the game. In front of you stands a batter who is just waiting to be the hero.

So what do you do? Do you panic? Do you simply throw ball four and crawl into a hole?

If you’re Brian Smith, the newly appointed closer for the NIU baseball team, panicking is not an option. He used his 6-foot-3-inch frame to blow two fastballs past the batter and stroll back to the dugout.

For a freshman pitcher, the pressure in that situation should be intense. But for Smith, it’s what he thrives on.

“I’ve been in situations like that many times,” Smith said. “I dug myself into a hole. Not my teammates. I did. So I did what I had to do – dig myself out.”

That’s it. No worries. No sigh of relief. As teammate Eric Sansouci says, he’s just nails.

Smith simply does what he has to, which is why he’s become one of the most versatile additions to this year’s team, Sansouci said.

An all-state center fielder at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Smith hoped to stand out in center field for some college this spring. Though, when recruiters came calling, it was his arm, not his fielding ability, that got all of the attention.

That was fine with Smith. The main thing for him was to seize the opportunity. So when NIU offered him a chance to be the No. 2 starter, Smith took it.

After the first part of the season, Smith’s arm has been outstanding, NIU coach Ed Mathey said. The freshman was named MAC Player of the Week for his performance against Southern Illinois. He also leads the team with a 2.30 ERA, a 2-3 record and 31.1 innings pitched.

But Mathey saw more in Smith than just being a starter. He approached the freshman about moving closer.

“We needed a little help in the bullpen,” Mathey said. “And we figured we would try him out there.”

Smith took the job for two reasons – one, he would play any position in order to help the team, and two, now he is one step closer to playing everyday.

“I mean it’s fine [being a pitcher],” Smith said. “Being a freshman, anywhere you can be a starter is great. But right now I spend a lot of time off the field, and I’m not much of a bench guy.

“I want to be able to play the field and be back in the everyday line-up. No matter what position it is, that’s my goal.”